Heartlines
by Anna Livia
Summary: Aspiring author Elena Gilbert is sent to Mystic Falls on business. She gets more than she bargained for as her path consistently crosses with the enigmatic Damon Salvatore. Can she and Damon heal each others' wounds and learn to leave the past behind? Delena. AH/AU.
1. Chapter 1: On the Road

_Hi again beautiful readers! This is my second story posting here (you are all so amazing and supportive, I just couldn't help myself). I am working on another titled _All You Are to Me_, but I got the idea for this one a couple of weeks ago and figured I'd start working on it before I lost inspiration. I hope you like it! Let me know what you think :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Vampire Diaries_, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

"Turn right in 2 miles," the GPS console on the dash instructed in a prim mechanical voice. Elena ran her fingers through her long wind-tangled hair and stretched her legs as best she could in the driver's seat. She'd been on the road for nine hours; she had no idea what she'd find in Mystic Falls, but at this point she'd be satisfied with a hot meal and soft bed. She left her condo in Boston at four o'clock that morning. Her company generously offered to fly her into Richmond and cover the cost of a rental car, but she was looking forward to spending the day out on the open road to sort her thoughts. As of late her personal life had been on a steep, inevitable downward spiral until it finally imploded on its sorry self: the manuscript she'd spent almost three years of her life writing and polishing was shamelessly rejected by the yet another publisher, her brother had just received his order to deploy to Afghanistan, her parents let her know that they were getting a divorce, and to top it all off, the last time she saw her boyfriend he was frantically throwing clothes in a duffel bag and moving out.

_ "Matt, please, can we just talk?" she pled. Every time Matt through an article of clothing in the open duffel bag she took it back out and replaced it in the dresser. Elena and Matt Donovan had dated since their sophomore year in high school. She loved him, there was no doubt about that, but she questioned whether she was _in_ love with him anymore. Their relationship was comfortable and familiar, but it lacked passion and excitement._

_ "No, I'm done talking, I'm done fighting, I'm just done, ok Elena?" he said, snatching his bag from the bed and out of her reach._

_ "Don't do this Matt, please," Elena cried, "we can work this out. Don't leave."_

_ "There's nothing to work out, Elena. You don't want to get married. You don't want kids. I mean, shit, you can't even commit to going on vacation with me!"_

_ "I want to, but I told you, I have work," she started to become defensive. She could already see what was coming next; same crap, different day._

_ "I am sick and tired of sharing space in this relationship with your damn job!"_

_ "So we're back to this again? I never said I didn't want to get married, I just don't want to get married _now_, I don't want kids _now_. You've got it all mapped out and I don't want it _now_."_

_ "Then when Elena? Because it used to be after graduation, then it was after college, and then it was after grad school, now it's after your book."_

_ "It's important to me," she frowned. Matt wasn't the only one putting pressure on her, she got it from her parents, her friends, that weird aunt she had who only seemed to materialize when her mother was nagging her about grandkids._

_ "I know, but I can't just sit around waiting for you to be ready for me."_

_ "Matt, please, I love you. Please don't leave," she let the tears roll down her cheeks, hoping it would help him see her earnestness._

_ "I love you, too, Elena," he cupped her face with his hands and for a fleeting moment they were high school sweethearts again, gazing into each other's eyes on the bleachers after football practice, "but I can't do this anymore."_

_ "Please," she whispered, no longer sure what she was asking for._

_ "I can't be the one to break you, Elena. I can't ask you to give up on your dreams; you're going to publish that book and travel the world like you've always wanted. Please don't ask me to give up mine," his voice cracked over the last few words and he pulled her against his chest. She fell against him and cried into his t-shirt. Their relationship had been over for months but that was the first time she allowed herself to admit it. He held her while she cried herself to sleep and when she woke up in the morning he was gone and his key to their apartment was left on the counter._

She thought briefly about calling Matt, just to see how he was doing, but decided against it. If he wanted to talk, he would call. Instead, she dialed her best girlfriends' house. Since Bonnie and Caroline lived together, she knew she'd get at least someone on the line she could talk to.

"_Breakup Support Hotline_," Bonnie answered after two rings.

"Hey, Bon," Elena sighed. Word must have gotten around fast about her and Matt's break up.

"_How are you doing_?" Bonnie seemed genuinely concerned, but not surprised. After all, it was Bonnie who first noticed the platonic shift in Elena and Matt's relationship several months ago.

"I'm ok, I guess. I mean, it was kind of inevitable, right? It just sucks, but… whatever. Distract me." Elena didn't want to think about Matt.

"_Oh! I have just the thing! So Grams is telling me that I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that. I know—crazy, right? But what if it's true. Like yesterday, Caroline and I were at Copley Place and she saw this adorable yellow bandage dress and she was like 'I wonder how much this is,' and I said '$179.' Do you know how much the dress was?_" Bonnie asked excitedly.

"A hundred seventy-nine dollars?"

"_No! It was $143.20, but it was twenty per cent off, so it _was_ $179. How weird is that?_"

"So predict something… about me," Elena was impressed, Bonnie managed to bring a smile to her face.

"_I predict this year is going to be kick ass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy. And that's totally accurate, plus or minus twenty per cent_." Bonnie giggled. Elena could hear Caroline in the background.

"_Is that Elena?_" Caroline's voice was getting closer to the phone, "_Elena?_" she took the phone from Bonnie. "_How are you?_"

"I'm fine Caroline, much better. Just needed some space to clear my head."

"_Oh my gosh, did Bonnie tell you about the amazing yellow bandage dress we found at Copley Place?_"

"She did. I hope you got it in a 2 because I'm going to borrow it."

"_Only if you also wear the fabulous green pumps I got to go with it. When are you coming home? We need to go out as single girls!_" Caroline whined. A part of Elena felt like Caroline had been waiting for her and Matt to break up so they could roam the town _Sex and the City_ style.

"I'll be home next week, hopefully. I just need to get this freaking Salvatore guy to sign his store over. The sooner the better."

"_Ooo, I hope he's hot, not just hot, but like post-break-up hot_," Caroline said playfully.

"He's old Care, I doubt he's hot," Elena shook her head.

"_Maybe he has a hot son_," Bonnie chimed in. "_Or a nephew!_"

"_Let your freak flag fly Lena! Find some Southern hottie with a sexy accent and cut loose a little_," Caroline chirped.

"_You haven't been single since high school, now is your time to play the field_," Bonnie agreed.

"Because I'm _so_ that girl," Elena laughed.

"_Nothing wrong with a little fun_," Caroline audibly shrugged.

"Alright, well I'll keep you posted. I'll see you guys in a few days. Love you!" Elena knew that her best friends could find the bright side of the whole crappy situation, and they didn't disappoint.

"_Love you, too!_" Caroline and Bonnie said at the same time. Elena felt considerably more at ease when she hung up. She knew that her and Matt's break up was hard on her friends because they had all been so close for so long, she was just glad to have them in her life still with no hard feelings.

She passed a small sign tucked back in the thick foliage of the pine trees.

_Welcome to Mystic Falls, VA_

_Population: 1,864_

"Turn right," the GPS politely reminded her and she veered off of the main highway onto a narrow two-lane road with a faded stripe down the middle. The forest on either side of the road was so thick that she couldn't see but a few feet past the shoulder. She crossed over a small bridge and entered the town. It was exactly what she pictured when she thought of "Small Town America." There was a central green around which a brick city hall stood, proudly displaying an antique clock in its belfry. A few shops bordered the square, a post office, and a restaurant. Elena dropped a mental pin at the location of the Mystic Grill, which she would definitely be hitting up for dinner after checking into her hotel. She couldn't shrug off the cloak of guilt that overcame her as she admired the idyllic little hamlet; she was public enemy number one in places like this. She was a corporate acquisitions agent for Grimoire Books, a multinational conglomerate of bookstores. Her job required her to go into small towns like Mystic Falls and bring mom-n-pop shops like Salvatore Books into the corporate fold as Grimoire franchises. She hated her job, _hated_ it with the fire of a thousand suns, but it beat waiting tables while she shopped her manuscript around.

The hotel she had reserved was hard to miss. It was a large plantation style building with a row of white Corinthian columns looming before a pair of massive red French doors. She stopped her car in the semi-circle gravel driveway and climbed the few stairs to the entrance, admiring the exquisite antebellum architecture. She wondered if the building was a recreation or if it had really survived the Civil War in such immaculate shape.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to Lockwood Manor," an elegant older woman greeted her when she entered the well-appointed lobby. "How may I help you?"

"I have a reservation for Elena Gilbert," Elena smiled. She liked the Southern hospitality already. People were never that polite in Boston, on most days she was lucky if her super so much as grunted in her direction as a greeting.

"Oh yes, of course! Welcome Miss Gilbert. All the way from Boston, oh dear, you must be exhausted," the woman sighed. "I'm Carol Lockwood. I'd be happy to show you to your room. Do you have any more luggage?"

"Just a couple of suitcases in the car, I can grab them later."

"Nonsense, Miss Gilbert. You're on vacation, it's time for you to relax," Carol waved at her. "Tyler!" She called and a young man popped his head around the corner.

"Yeah Mom?"

"Will you take Miss Gilbert's luggage to room seven, please?" The young man nodded and disappeared back to what he was doing. "That's my son, Tyler," Carol explained to Elena as she led her up the stairs to her room.

"This is a stunning house Mrs. Lockwood," Elena commented as she examined the carefully carved walnut banister.

"Thank you, dear. The original Lockwoods built it in 1837; during the Civil War it functioned as part of the Underground Railroad." Elena had the feeling that this place held a lot of secrets and she wished she had more time to explore them. "Are you a history buff, Miss Gilbert?"

"Something like that," Elena smiled. "I'm an author, so I'm mainly just a story buff."

"You'll find plenty of stories in Mystic Falls." Mrs. Lockwood paused as they reached a room at the top of the stairs. "This is it. If you need anything at all just find one of us. I do hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," Elena took the key from Carol and unlocked the door. The room was furnished in dark antique wooden furniture; there was a canopy bed in the middle of the room, and a mirrored vanity against the far wall. Elena almost jumped out of her skin with excitement when she saw a wardrobe for her clothes, and honest to goodness w_ardrobe_. Her ten-year-old mind compelled her to open the doors and knock against the back, just to make sure Mr. Tumnus wasn't home. In fit of girlish glee she threw herself onto the over-stuffed mattress and kicked her feet in the air. The room was like the princess room she had always wanted as a girl and, from what she could tell, this town offered more than enough to fill her spare time— maybe this trip wouldn't be so bad after all.

Before she could let herself get too comfortable in her room, her stomach growled ferociously reminding her that she hadn't had anything to eat all day besides a gas station cold cut and a few bags of potato chips. She rolled off the bed and changed out of her frumpy travel clothes. Instead of her rumpled Pink sweats and a Dr. Pepper-stained tank top she slipped on a red short-sleeved sheath dress and demure black pumps. She slicked on a coat of clear lip-gloss and touched up her mascara. Bonnie and Caroline were right: she was single, successful, and ready to play the field a little. Before walking out the door she shrugged on her cropped faux leather jacket to ward off the chilliness of the January air.

She opted to walk the few blocks to the restaurant and see more of the town. It was a beautiful night after all, and her muscles appreciated being turned free from the confines of her car. When she walked into the Grill more than a few heads turned, making it obvious that she was an outsider. Instead of sitting awkwardly at a table by herself she took a seat at the bar, where she wolfed down a cheeseburger and fries like she'd never seen food before. She was impressed, it was far better than the typical greasy spoon fare she had expected to find. The handsome, blonde-haired, blue-eyed waiter who came by to refill her drink reminded her of Matt and her good mood was instantly soured. She waited for the bartender, who was decidedly un-Matt like, to come over and she ordered a drink.

"Martini please, dirty," Elena groaned.

"Bad night, huh?" the dark-haired bartender asked as he picked up a stainless steel shaker and a dropped two olives into an empty glass.

"Bad month," she nodded as he slid the drink in front of her. The liquor burned deliciously as it swam down her throat, and she could feel it warming her from the pit of her stomach. She leaned back in the chair and spun the stem of the glass between her fingers. A part of her wanted to go back to her room and curl up in the fluffy bed and sleep until late morning, but another part of her wanted to live it up for the week. All of her problems would still be there waiting for her in Boston, and why should she let them follow her all the way to Virginia and spoil a perfectly good voyage of self-discovery? Maybe this is what she would need to give her the perspective to become a truly great author. Steinbeck did it, so did Kerouac and Hemingway. Maybe she was onto something— this didn't have to be a dreary business trip. This could be the genesis of a new Elena, one who could live in the moment and revel in the lightness of being unattached for the first time in years.

"Bourbon neat," a velvety voice called out from behind her interrupting her thoughts, "and whatever this beautiful woman is having." A man confidently slid into the seat next to her and didn't try to hide the fact that he was shamelessly checking her out. She turned to give the man a snarky reply, but found herself wordless and in awe of him. Simply put, he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Handsome wasn't even the right word, he was Adonis come to life, from his rugged, chiseled jaw line to his full lips to his tousled black hair that shone in the low light like a raven's wing. Most remarkable, however, were his crystalline azure eyes that sparkled with mischief and something else she couldn't quite place. His languid appraisal of her short dress spoke volumes to his own ego and he arrogantly allowed those bright blue eyes to linger on the skin of her exposed thigh. Dressed in dark jeans, grey t-shirt and a black leather jacket, he certainly wasn't the nice, down-home, Southern boy Caroline and Bonnie had in mind for her; this man was sin incarnate. Caroline had a term for guys like him: walking orgasm.

"I'm Damon."

* * *

**A.N. What do you think? Should I continue it? Leave your comments, they are like Pixy Stix for my inner 6-year-old writing fiend :)**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	2. Chapter 2: The Awakening

_Thank you for the feedback and encouragement. I have a few chapters done already and just want to proofread them before posting. I'll also have another chapter for AYATM up soon. This chapter is definitely rated M for a reason (spoiler- smut ahead ;) Enjoy and let me know what think. Hugs to everyone :)_

_boothishot- Thank you for your review! I hope you like the update :)_

_VampireGleek77- Thank you millions! I have some really fun twists planned :D_

_AlyssaIanSomerhalder- I was trying to think of a relevant population for the town, I'm glad you thought it was funny :)_

_kaybaby1127- Thanks! Who wouldn't want to start over in Mystic Falls, lol :)_

_bellax0xchristina- Thank you, thank you! I am glad you are enjoying AYATM, too. I'll update that soon too :)_

_Lava128- Thank you, I hope you enjoy the continuation :) It's going to be a crazy ride!_

_damonash- Fresh update for you :) I hope you like it!_

_scarlett2112- Thank you! I am excited to continue the story :)_

_jules- You're so sweet! Thank you :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

"I'm Damon," the man said as he offered his hand, disrupting her admiration. Even his name was sexy and dangerous.

"Elena," she held her hand out for a handshake, but he gently turned her wrist and brushed his soft lips over her knuckles never breaking eye contact. There was something about him that was intense and so captivating that Elena simply couldn't look away. She was used to getting the sidelong glances and awkward icebreakers from men in bars, but she'd never encountered a man with such brazen confidence before.

"Beautiful name for a beautiful woman, Elena," his voice caressed her name so sensually that she was fidgeting in her seat. "So what is a woman like you doing sitting all by yourself at a bar in Mystic Falls?"

"Taking a break from my epically bad month back home," Elena rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink.

"Why epically bad, may I ask?" he inquired and held his hands up disarmingly.

"Monumental job failures, family problems, general life path re-evaluation, and I finally managed to drive away my boyfriend. Life, the future. He has it all planned out," she didn't know why she was sharing such intimate information with a complete stranger but for some reason she felt an odd kinship with the man. Some deep instinct told her that underneath his polished shell, he was wounded and hurting, too. "It's not just him either, it's everyone. They've all got their own ideas of who I should be and what I should be doing."

"And you don't want it?" he asked, taking a pull of whiskey from his tumbler.

"I don't know what I want," Elena shrugged. It was on of those half-truths people say to appease their audience, because she knew exactly what she wanted: she wanted to be free to roam the globe like a modern nomad. She wanted to shirk the weight of her responsibility and take off into the wild blue yonder with only her dreams and her notebook to keep her company.

"Well that's not true," Damon replied with a cocky grin, "you want what everybody wants."

"What's that?" she smiled flirtatiously, impressed with Damon's forwardness and honesty. "A mysterious stranger at the bar who has all the answers?"

"I've been around a while, I've learned a few things," he shrugged and shifted towards her slightly.

"So, Damon, tell me, what is it that I want?" she was intrigued by him, something about him fascinated her. He was the archetypal man in black, the dark and enigmatic prophet who galloped in on his ebony steed to carry off the tortured princess.

"You want passion, and adventure, and even a little danger," he purred as he ran his finger over her exposed knee. Her inner romantic nodded wildly at his notion and urged her to leap into his arms, but she was shut down by her stoic, logical side.

"Does that line actually work on women around here?" Elena laughed. She was falling right into his trap and she had to try and salvage at least a little control of the conversation.

"I've had good luck with it in the past, yes," contrary to her expectations he wasn't put off or deflated at all, he just shrugged it off with a smirk and traced the hem of her dress with his fingers.

"I'm not really in the mood for talking," she said in a husky timbre. She had never been the one-night stand sort of girl, but she figured that if it was ever going to happen this Damon fellow would fit the bill just fine. "I just need a distraction."

"I am an _excellent_ distraction," he replied, leaning closer to her.

"Cocky much?"

"_Very_ much," he smiled.

"Let's go."

"I'll drive."

He dropped his hand to the small of her back and led her out to his car. In a surprising feat of chivalry he opened the door for her, but confirmed his own motives as he shamelessly appraised her backside as she climbed in. The car ride was mercifully short and required very little uncomfortable small talk. _You're reveling… finally_, she told herself.

Damon held the car door open for her and held her hand gently to help her out but as soon as she was free of the seatbelt, he pushed her roughly up against the side of the car and pressed the hard lines of his body into her curves. He captured her lips and kissed her with a fire she didn't know existed outside of movies. Matt's kisses were always quick, friendly pecks to say 'hello' or 'goodbye.' This was something different all together; indeed, she didn't think it was fair to include them both under the umbrella of "kissing." Damon's lips were insistent upon her own and his hands roamed boldly down her sides before coming to rest low on her hips. She was breathless under his ministrations and her blood was boiling from her veins. Her heart beat harder against her ribs when he ventured from her lips to her neck.

"What room are you?" he mumbled with his lips still against her neck.

"Seven, upstairs," she panted. Before she could register what happened they were at the door to her room and she was fishing the key from her small clutch. She fussed with the old brass key and the antique lock, which would have been much easier had she not been distracted by Damon's roaming hands. He brushed her hair over her shoulder and gently caressed the back of her neck with his lips before biting gently on her ear.

"You have five seconds to get that door open, or I'm taking you in the hallway," he threatened with a feral growl. Immediately the lock on the door popped open and she pulled him into her room by the collar of his jacket. As soon as the door closed they were clawing at each others' clothes in a frenzy. Elena yanked Damon's jacket over his shoulders and down his arms before tossing it carelessly on the floor. Her own jacket soon followed his, accompanied by her pumps, and her red dress until she was left in her undergarments. She blushed when she realized that she was still in her simple white cotton bra and panties, it was the one aspect of her road trip attire she had overlooked when she changed for dinner. Despite her self-consciousness Damon was staring at her with dark hooded eyes and licked his lips suggestively.

"You are incredibly sexy," he said and explored her newly exposed flesh as he kissed her. Her hands deftly found the hem of his t-shirt and tugged it off over his head. She backed them nearer to the bed until they were close enough for her to push him down onto his back on the mattress. Embracing her new found free spirit she straddled his hips on her knees and leaned over to kiss him. She'd never taken control like that before but the moan she elicited from Damon when she ground her hips against his was incentive enough to keep going. Her fingers traced the taut muscles of his chest and abdomen and when she reached the waistband of his jeans she traced the edge of the denim with her fingernails, which caused him to shiver beneath her. She flattened her palm against the zipper of his pants and cupped his obvious arousal, giving him an experimental squeeze. He grasped so hard at the blankets that his knuckles turned white and he bit his lips to trap a stream of expletive that were waiting to escape. Quite pleased with his reaction, she tried it again with a little more pressure as she traced his jaw with kisses and playful nips.

"I'm supposed to be distracting you," he growled as he flipped them over and pinned her to the bed. He wasted no time in ridding Elena of her last few vestiges of clothing she wore before cupping her breasts in his large hands. She never paid particular attention to power of erogenous zones, but Damon was apparently well studied and even better practiced at the art. He brushed his thumbs over the stiff peaks of her breasts and worshiped them with his lips, tongue, and teeth.

"Oh my god, Damon," she moaned and arched her back against him. He hadn't even really touched her yet and she felt like she was already spiraling to oblivion. Her fingers found their way to his soft hair and she tugged on the jet strands as he slithered down her body. Her grip on him tightened as he closed the distance to her throbbing core. She was thinking about how Matt had only done this to her a couple of times and it was only because she asked. He never relished her body like this or reveled in her pleasure, it was always routine and tepid. All of her thoughts were short circuited when Damon lifted her knee over his shoulder and kissed his way down the inside of her thigh.

"You don't have to," she panted, trying to wiggle away from him.

"I want to," he said with a devious smile and bowed his head back to her skin. Her hips buckled as he lapped at her center with languid strokes, constantly alternating patterns and pressure until her stomach was tied up in such gloriously taut knots that she felt like was going to combust. Damon must have sensed her predicament because he gently slid two fingers into her warmth and massaged her walls expertly. In mere seconds her muscles were clamping down on his digits as a wave of pleasure tore through her. It was by far the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced, and it left her numb and quivering, but hungry for more.

Damon climbed gracefully back up her body and captured her lips in a kiss that was more tender and sweeter than their previous kisses. Elena could taste her own essence on his tongue, and she could feel the pit of her stomach begin to tighten again.

"I want you," he murmured and ground roughly against her. Her hands fell to his black leather belt and yanked it free from its buckle, he held himself up on his strong arms and watched her carefully as she tugged the zipper down and shimmied his jeans off over his hips.

"Do you have a…?"

"In my wallet," he muttered and grabbed the leather bi-fold from the pocket of his discarded jeans. She coyly plucked the small foil pouch from his hands and gave him a kittenish smile.

"Let me," she purred and pushed him onto his back, taking his impressive length in her hand and tearing the packet open.

"Fuck Elena," he moaned at the contact and she quickly sheathed him before sitting astride him once again. For a fleeting second, his eyes went wide at the image of her on top of him but he regained his composure quickly. He didn't often have women who attempted to best him at his own game, and he was wildly turned on that the beautiful brunette on top of him seemed so certain of herself. Before he could meditate on the subject any further, she lowered herself onto him. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and rocked her hips sharply against him gasping in delight. He simply couldn't handle the little murmurs and sighs, he wanted to make her cry out and scream in ecstasy. In one swift movement he flipped their position and drove into her as far as possible. She was warm and tight around him and he hoped he hadn't hurt her by being so forceful. Her exposed neck begged to be sucked and nibbled and he happily obliged, drawing the most beautiful keening mewls from her lips.

"Does that feel good?" he asked huskily against her ear.

"Yes," she whimpered, "so good. God, don't stop."

"Just Damon is fine," he panted, his thrusts becoming more frenetic. "I'm close."

"Me too," she agreed. His hands stretched out to find hers and their fingers intertwined. The tenderness of the gesture pushed Elena over the precipice and she thrashed beneath him as she succumbed to _la petite morte_. Damon followed her shortly, holding her sweat-slicked body tight against his until he regained his strength enough to roll off of her.

"Well done," Elena said approvingly when both of their breathing had slowed to normal and the room stopped spinning.

"Thanks," Damon said with a lop-sided grin.

"I've got a meeting in a few hours, so…" Elena suggested and sat up against the headboard holding the sheet to her chest. She wasn't really sure how to broach the subject of kicking him out.

"A woman after my own heart," Damon nodded with a smile, already out of bed and pulling his jeans and t-shirt on. He circled to her side of the bed and leant over to pull her into one last scorching kiss. She looked back up at him with dazed brown eyes and swollen lips. "I hope to see you around again, Elena." And with that, he was gone.

3 3 3

She sat in her car and stared at the yellow and white storefront of Salvatore Books for at least fifteen minutes. Her meeting was rapidly approaching and she nervously drummed her fingers against the steering wheel, reviewing talking points in her head. Try as she may, she couldn't push Damon's gorgeous blue eyes and cocky smirk from her memory. The delicious ache in her thighs made it even more difficult to forget and she was hoping she might run into him again before she left back for Boston. She hoped that the infamous Mr. Salvatore would be tractable and pliant so she could head back to the Grill and wait for her dark prince. Before she allowed herself to get her hopes up too much she gathered her necessary paperwork and filed it into her messenger bag. With one last look in the sun visor mirror she left the car and approached the shop as confidently as she knew how.

A small bell over the door tinkered to signal the arrival of a customer. Elena looked around the small, but tidy shop and inhaled deeply to fill her lungs with the smell of newly printed paper and ink. It took her back to her childhood, when she would spend hours at the local library reading books of all sorts. The store was lit only from the sunlight pouring through the windows and it illuminated everything in a warm golden glow. It was so perfect and beautiful, she wanted to turn and leave as fast as she could. She could tell her boss back at Grimoire that Mr. Salvatore simply refused to sell and that was that. Before she could get back out of the door a friendly voice called out to her.

"Good morning, can I help you find anything in particular?" a tall, rugged-looking man waved from behind one of the tall bookshelves. He had a stack of books in his arms and was re-homing them neatly on the shelf.

"Mr. Salvatore?" Elena questioned, thinking to herself that the sandy-haired man who greeted her so generously didn't fit the bill of villainy she'd been sold by, well… everyone.

"Oh no," the man laughed and put the books he was holding on an empty shelf, "Ric Saltzman, I'm just holding down the fort until he gets back, which should be soon."

"I'm Elena Gilbert, from Grimoire Books," she started, mentally cringing at what kind of reaction she would get.

"Ah yes, of course, the dreaded head hunter" Ric smiled and gestured to the overstuffed leather chairs in the middle of the store. "I'm only kidding, please have a seat. Can I get you coffee or tea or anything?"

"Coffee would be great, thank you so much. So is it just you and Giuseppe here?" she asked, trying to get a feel for what the businesses situation was. Often times she found that fewer employees meant less paperwork, ergo, she was really hoping it was just Ric and Giuseppe. The sooner she could complete the merger the sooner she could go home.

"Giuseppe?" Ric barked humorously as he handed her a full mug of steaming black coffee. "He died like six months ago and left this place to his sons. I just help out a few days a week as a personal favor to Damon."

"Damon?" she repeated and groaned internally. _Maybe it's just a really common name in Virginia, like really common… yeah?_ She foolishly hoped that Mr. Tall, Dark, and Devilishly Talented was not the same rude, shrewd, and unbearably stubborn man she'd been sent to make a deal with. Before she could get herself wound any tighter the bell over the front door jingled and she turned to see a familiar pair of blue eyes and tousled black hair.

_Crap._

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading again you awesome peeps. Next up: D & E have an actual conversation ;) Feed that hungry review box and see you soon!**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	3. Chapter 3: Pride and Prejudice

_Oh my gosh, I cannot believe the feedback I've gotten for this story... you are all so AWESOME! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love the comments, and do my best to take them all into consideration when I'm writing new chapters so keep them coming :) This chapter was a lot of fun to write, it's a little heavy on dialogue but necessary to get the story rolling. I hope you like it :D_

_VampireGleek77- Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked it! She'll be seeing A LOT of Damon ;) _

_AlyssaIanSomerhalder- Who wouldn't be smitten with Damon? ;) Fresh update for you here, I felt so evil making the last chapter a cliffy *muhaha* :D_

_bellax0xchristina- Thanks for the comments! I hope you like their "first" meeting in this chapter :)_

_FineFreshFierce585- Thank you :) I hope you enjoy the update, too!_

_Cherriesandapples- Thank you! She's def not going to get rid of him now ;)_

_damonash- Thanks a million! Damon is a fun character to write because he can pretty much pull of anything, I think :) Hope you like the update!_

_Alice- Thank you! I hope you like this story! I'll have another chapter of AYATM up soon too, I just want to do it justice before I post :)_

_scarlett2112- Merci! I'm totally with you on that one! Damon starts to show a little of his past here, and oh yeah- potholes ahoy! All's well that end's well though ;) _

_LovexAndxFate- Thanks! AU/AH are so much fun! My best friend is from South Carolina and she said pretty much the same thing you did about the down home boys, in fact her exact words were "um... no, Damon any day of the week." ;)_

_MelissaSomerhalder- Thanks and yep, pretty soon in fact the update is happening... now! ;) I hope you like it!_

_KellyJo93- Than you! I hope you like the update :)_

_CharlSmith- Thank you! Hope you enjoy the new chapter!_

_DEandMEthreeway- Thank you for your reviews! I hope the update doesn't disappoint :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Vampire Diaries_, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

"Morning Ric," Damon greeted brightly, "nice day, huh?" He was whistling an upbeat tune as he shrugged out of the black leather jacket that Elena distinctly remembered tossing on the floor the night before. He'd obviously gone home, showered, and changed but his hair still fell untamed across his forehead and it seemed that dark colors were his go to wardrobe choice. In the bright light of day, he was even more handsome than in the dim bar light, if that was even possible. If the situation hadn't been so dreadfully awkward, Elena would have congratulated herself for contributing to his jovial mood.

"Hey Damon," Ric nodded to him. "What's got you so chipper this morning?"

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell, Ric," Damon simpered theatrically, earning an eye roll from his friend.

"You've got company," Ric gestured towards Elena who stood cautiously from her safe haven of the leather chair and straightened her grey pencil skirt primly over her legs. "This is—,"

"Elena," he grinned smugly, "we're… _familiar_." He took her hand and kissed her knuckles chivalrously which reminded her of the night before and made her flush deep scarlet all the way to her hairline.

"Good morning Mr. Salvatore," Elena mumbled, trying to maintain her professional composure. Ric watched the uncomfortable encounter carefully with crossed arms before interrupting them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but can I talk to you for a minute, buddy?" he inquired without really asking and was already headed for the stockroom. Damon raked his eyes over Elena from head to toe before following Ric to the back. "Please tell me you did _not_ sleep with her?" Ric asked in an annoyed tone as soon as they were out of earshot of the main floor.

"Alright, I didn't sleep with her," Damon shrugged unconvincingly, not even trying to hide the fact that he was lying. "I went home to sleep."

"Dammit, Damon! That's Elena _Gilbert _as in the Ms. Gilbert who as been calling non-stop about the buy out," Ric huffed and shoved roughly at his friend's shoulder. "What were you thinking? Do you have any idea the kind of litigation we could get tied up in over this? What if she files a formal grievance against you for harassment?"

"Ric, calm down," Damon smiled, seemingly unfazed by Ric's new information. "A. I had no idea who she was, B. _she_ came on to _me_, and C. she didn't have any grievances, trust me."

"Fix this," Ric shook his head and pointed out to the shop where Elena was no doubt waiting for them to break their secret meeting.

"With pleasure," Damon smirked and sauntered out of the storeroom. He spotted Elena looking more than a little uncomfortable, still perched in the leather reading chair so he took the seat next to her.

"Mr. Salvatore—" Elena started in a professional and detached tone.

"Was my father. Call me Damon, or god, as you seemed so fond of last night."

"_Damon_, last night was a mistake and an exercise in extremely poor and clouded judgment. I'd prefer it if we could go forward with the negotiations as if nothing happened."

"Multiple orgasms aren't nothing, Elena," he purred and ran his fingers lightly over her wrist. She jerked her arm away and pulled the sleeves of her cardigan down as far as they would go to cover her arms. "We could always go for a repeat in my office... if you're needing another, what was it? _Distraction_."

"I'm not," she snapped.

"Oh come on, it was too good for you to be this hostile," he grinned.

"Here is what we're prepared to offer you to become a Grimoire franchise," she handed him a stack of papers, trying desperately to ignore his suggestive comments. "I think you'll agree that it's more than fair. Our offer is seventeen per cent above market value, plus Grimoire would be covering all of the closing and transition costs. Your store would get to keep its original name, with the addition of our corporate insignia—"

"Nah," Damon shook his head, "I'm not selling."

"Is it the offer? I'm sure we can come close to whatever your asking price is," Elena scrambled, pulling out her phone to call her boss to ok a new bid.

"The money is fine," he dismissed. It's not like he needed it anyways, the inheritance his father left him in addition to the store was enough to keep him, and any foreseeable future Salvatores, more than comfortable.

"The terms then?" Elena frowned.

"Nope, those are fine, too."

"What is it? Please work with me on this. I am already on thin ice at work and I'll lose my job if I don't get you to sign on to this," she hoped blatant honesty and maybe a little bit of pity would get him on board. She gave him her best Bambi eyes and puppy dog pout.

"That really sucks then," he handed her the stack of contracts of stood up. "Is that all?" She didn't say anything, and instead just stared at the unsigned contracts in his hands.

"Damon," she pled quietly, "they really are going to fire me. This was my last shot."

"More time for life path re-evaluation then," he shrugged.

"God, you are such an ass!" she growled and snatched the documents from him before storming out of the shop.

"Damon, wow. That was rough. You could have at least let the poor girl down easy," Ric commented as they watched her throw her bag into the passenger seat of her car. She kicked furiously at the tires and peeled off her black stiletto pumps so she could stomp on the ground more freely. Damon didn't even attempt to stifle his laugh when she tugged furiously a few times at her car before she realized it was still locked and growled a string of colorful imprecations.

"I'm not selling this shop, Ric," Damon answered. "I thought I was pretty clear about that."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing to sell this place and get out of town. Change of scenery might be good for you," Ric suggested.

"I'm not leaving."

"She's not coming back man. She's gone, and you're better off without her," Ric almost pitied his best friend's inability to let go of the past and he thought that it all had to do with Katherine Pierce. Ric believed that Damon would spend his entire life waiting for Katherine to come to her senses and return to him if someone didn't intervene. As much as he claimed to hate the woman that destroyed his life, there was something about her that made it impossible for him to let go. Even after two years, Katherine still had him firmly grasped in her talons. When she walked out on Damon in favor of his little brother she left him as an empty shell of the man he used to be, or at least he thought it was because of Katherine. He became bitter and sarcastic and managed to drive everyone close to him away, except Ric. Ric was no stranger to betrayal himself. His wife, Isobel, took off after four years of marriage without so much as a goodbye note. It was Damon who was there to pull him back from the edge every time he tried to drown his sorrows in bourbon. Just when he was ready to give up on love an angel fell into his life, literally. He was resentfully participating in one of the Founder's Day clean up events and tossing leaves into a trash bag at the park, when a beautiful young woman tumbled down the hill, taking him out like a bowling pin. It was the first time in months that he allowed himself to laugh and the woman's smile made him feel instantly alive. Eight months later, they were married and he had never been so in love with anyone as he was with Jenna. Had he accepted the emotional stalemate that came with Isobel's duplicity he would have let the best thing in his life pass him by. It killed him to see his best friend mired in heartbreak and he worried that Damon _would_ let true love and happiness pass him by.

"I'm not selling, period," Damon grunted flintily and lumbered off to the storeroom.

3 3 3

Damon was looking over receiving logs later that day when his phone buzzed. It was a text from Ric to let him know that their merger account had been transferred to a new Grimoire agent. Ric left Damon to fill in the blanks that a new agent most likely meant that Elena had been fired and replaced. Despite how rude he was to her that morning, he _did_ feel a little guilty. He didn't know her well enough (yet) to know how best to make it up to her, but he figured dinner couldn't hurt. He phoned the Grill to place a take-away order and planned to drop by her hotel on his way home from the shop.

3 3 3

"What a surprise, just when I thought my day hit rock bottom," Elena growled when she answered the knock at her room door. "One more thing I was tragically wrong about."

"You've got a long way to rock bottom sweetheart," Damon smirked, leaning casually against the doorframe. She just mumbled something incoherent and moped back to her bed, leaving the door open in what Damon perceived as an invitation.

"Wine?" She offered and held up a bottle of merlot with a neon green bendable straw in it.

"Are you drinking it with a straw?" he questioned with a raised brow, he had to admit, it was a little strange and more than a little endearing.

"No, I'm pouring it through the straw into the handcrafted Swarovski crystal stemware I packed in my suitcase," she answered acridly and flopped back down on the mattress. She flipped through the channels before she decided on Shark Week reruns.

"What's got you in such a mood?" he asked as he walked into her room and closed the door behind him. The blood pumped a little more vigorously through his veins when he remembered what they were doing last time they were in her room together.

"Are you trying to be funny? You and your stubborn ass have me in a mood. I lost my job because of you, Damon. I called to get you a new offer and Pearl fired me! She already replaced me, too, with Rebekah Mikaelson!" She snapped without removing her eyes from the television.

"Eh, you hated that job anyways," he tried to make light of the situation.

"But I like food and clothes and having a place to live."

"And wine, apparently."

"Yes, Damon, and wine. Especially in the presence of obstinate, arrogant, pig-headed men like yourself," she pointed the bottle at him and took a long pull from the straw.

"Ouch. Tell me how you really feel," he smiled, approaching the bed and watching her admiringly. She was leaning against the headboard of the bed, dressed in grey cropped sweat pants, a purple camisole, and an American Eagle hoodie. Her toenails were painted bright pink and green like watermelon slices, which he missed the night before but decided that he liked it; it was cute and playful. Katherine never did things like that, and she didn't even own a pair of sweats.

"I feel like I want to smack that self-satisfied smirk right off your face," she grumbled while fiddling with the straw in her wine bottle.

"Would it make it better if I told you I had a peace offering? Cheeseburgers, fries, and apple crumble… _fresh_ apple crumble." He smiled and held up a brown take-away bag. Her eyes trailed the bag, and she sighed deeply.

"Ugh," Elena groaned, "yes, that makes it better." She begrudgingly moved her laptop off of the bed so he would have room to sit down next to her. "I only have one straw though," she gestured to the wine bottle she set between them.

"Not like we haven't already exchanged body fluids," he said and took a drink from the bottle. She unwrapped her cheeseburger and split the buns to peel off the pickles. Damon plucked the pickles from the paper and popped them in his mouth. "What you don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?"

"You didn't have anything better to do on a Friday night than join my pity party?" Elena asked between bites, reaching over to steal some of his French fries.

"Believe it or not, my social calendar was wide open this evening," he paused for a moment. "So when are you going back to Boston?"

"Don't remind me," she grimaced and stuffed the rest of her cheeseburger in her mouth. "I haven't thought about it yet. It's not like I have a job or a boyfriend to get back to or anything. I wanted to wait until after my parents got their divorce smoothed out so I didn't get caught in the middle. Choosing sides and all that… messy."

"You don't have siblings to help you with the kind of stuff?" It had been a long time since he had really been interested to know much about a woman. He dated Katherine for nine months before he even learned her middle name, and he was quite ok with that.

"I have a brother, but he just got his orders to ship out to Afghanistan at the end of the month," she explained and unwrapped a piece of apple crumble.

"Army?"

"Air Force. He's a flight nurse, and before you laugh— _yes_ he is a male nurse and he kicks ass at it." Jeremy always got teased for being a nurse, but he was Elena's hero.

"Wasn't going to say anything. So what do you want to do?"

"Watch TV and wallow in self-loathing for the rest of the evening," she whined.

"No, I mean like career-wise. You hated your job at Grimoire, but there must be something you want to do other than shake people down for the corporate machine?"

"I _wanted_ to be a writer, but my manuscript has been turned down four different times by four different publishing houses."

"Publish it yourself," he suggested nonchalantly.

"You really don't live in the real world, do you?" she scoffed, "It's several thousand dollars to self-publish."

"I'll publish it for you," he offered.

"That's not funny, Damon. It's been my dream since I could read. Don't belittle it," she shot him a vicious look.

"I'm serious," Damon defended himself, "how about this: you help me out with the store for a few weeks until I can find someone to replace Ric when winter break is over and he goes back to teaching. In the meantime, you can do whatever you literary types do— coffee shop lurking, remote cabin-dwelling— whatever, and in return I'll publish your book."

"Do you even know the first thing about publishing a manuscript?" His deal simply sounded too good to be true.

"Yes Elena, I know the first thing about publishing a manuscript," he answered in a mocking tone that he had perfected over the years, she wasn't the first person to underestimate him. "Salvatore Books has been around a long time, we've published a lot of local authors."

"Like who?" she crossed her arms and eyed him critically.

"Most recently: Andie Star."

"_You_ published Andie Star?" she repeated in disbelief.

"Personally? No. My dad did."

"She was on the New York Times best-seller list for thirty-seven weeks!"

"I know, what do you think paid for all that fancy maple shelving in the store?"

She watched him closely and appraised his expression. He wasn't looking at her, but rather watching the sharks on TV with rapt attention. She didn't think that he would be dishonest and try to swindle her with the publishing offer. After all, he had been nothing but honest, even brutally so, with her thus far. Part of her was still fighting a wild attraction to the man, and she wondered if working so closely with him would cause problems in that department down the road but this could be just the happy coincidence New Elena was waiting for.

"Why me?" the words left her mouth before she even processed them fully.

"Why you what?" he asked.

"Why would you do this for me?"

"I told you, I need someone to help me with the shop. And I like you, you know how to laugh and, besides Ric, this town is severely lacking in good company." The truth was that Elena reminded him someone he used to know, someone who was very important to him. She was fun, free-spirited, and full of life and for the first time in a long time, Damon found himself smiling because of someone else. Elena reminded him of the woman he fell in love with and never got over.

"Alright," she nodded with her smile growing, "let's do it."

"Great, you start tomorrow. Eight o'clock, sharp." As soon as he finished his sentence Elena threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, distracting him from the sharks for the first time since he settled on the bed.

"Thank you Damon."

* * *

**A/N: Whew! So kind of a lot happened there, but we got into a little bit about Damon's past and what he's dealing with. Next up: Elena's first day of her new job :) **

**XOXO ~Anna**


	4. Chapter 4: Beloved

_Hello again, so... I made a few adjustments to chapter 3 to make it fit a little better with the new development in this chapter. I wasn't going to go in this direction originally, but it is one of those plot bots that got stuck in my head and I couldn't get it out. You don't necessarily need to re-read chapter 3 for this to make sense, but if there are inconsistencies- that's why :) I'm so inspired by the crazy beautiful comments you guys are leaving for this story! I can't resist updating again so soon :D_

_jules- Thank you! It's going to be an adeventure, that's for sure :)_

_AlyssaIanSomerhalder- Thank you :) Another cliffy here, but not quite so bad ;) Hope you like it!_

_Wilb- Thank you so much! I really appreciate your kind words :)_

_scarlett2112- I *love* Ric, I couldn't believe they killed him off in the show. He was such a rich character! I hope you like the changes in this chapter (you'll see what I'm talking about)... I couldn't resist, the new character... yeah, I'll stop talking before I spoil it :)_

_VampireGleek77- Thank you! More Elena sassiness ahead! She's going to give as good as she gets :)_

_Peeniss0314- Thank you for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate your input and I'm glad chapter 2 wasn't a let down. I agree, I was a little skeptical about writing a one-night stand because it does seem out of character but I figured it could be kinda fun :) I really liked Andie, too. I thought she was such a good counterpart for Damon, sad they killed her off son soon :(_

_KellyJo93- Thank you! I hope you like the new chapter :)_

_bellax0xchristina- Thank you for the review! It totally seems like a Damon thing to not take something like that seriously :)_

_kaybaby1127- Thank you the comments! Damon is definitely serious about the publishing, but that's not all Elena will find out about him :)_

_YOuNMcK33- Thanks! Hope you enjoy the update :D_

_CharlSmith- Thank you! The first day arrives... now :)_

_my 2 guys- Thank you, I'm glad you are enjoying it!_

_Miss-Tyk- Thank you so much :) Double update today!_

_Alice- It'll be the start of a lovely friendship and maybe more... ? ;)_

_kann4890- Thank you so much! I'm glad you found them, too ;) Enjoy!_

_Guest- Thank you very much :D_

_Dark-Supernatural-Angel- Thank you for your awesome comments. I love working quotes from the script into my stories because some of them are too good not to :) Pseudo-spoiler: we may be seeing more of Jeremy soon ;)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

"What happened to _eight o'clock sharp_?" Elena asked with her hand on her hip as Damon casually strolled towards Salvatore Books. "I've been standing out here for twenty minutes." She tapped her toe against the concrete for good measure.

"Did I say eight o'clock?" he asked sarcastically, looking at his watch. "I meant eight thirty and look at that, we're both early!"

"You're hilarious," she deadpanned. "I'm getting here at eight thirty tomorrow."

"You look perfectly delectable this morning, Miss Gilbert," Damon commented as he unlocked the front door and held it open for her, ignoring her cross glare. She was wearing a black knee-length wiggle dress and a cropped pink blazer with the same black pumps she had on yesterday. "I always thought the naughty librarian thing was overrated, but I'm re-evaluating."

"Well it was either _this_ or wine-stained sweat pants," she gestured to her outfit and adjusted her ponytail. "My friends are mailing some of my things today so don't get used to it Smarmy McSmarmington."

"_Smarmy McSmarmington_? Is that anyway to speak to your boss?" he chuckled. This girl had spunk, he'd give her that much.

"Oh no," Elena shook her head as she dropped her messenger bag behind the front counter. "No, no, no. We're not going to do the whole kinky boss thing. You got me _fired_ Damon, from a very high-paying and competitive job, I might add. I am going to make the best of this situation and try to enjoy my time here, but don't expect me to take orders from you."

"Kinky boss thing huh?" he said with a quirked eyebrow and blocked her escape from the behind the counter. "I could get on board with that. Would you let me spank you?"

"Do you have some sort of chemical imbalance or were you just dropped on your head a lot as a baby?" she asked derisively and crossed her arms over her chest, inadvertently emphasizing her bust, which didn't escape Damon's notice.

"Miss Gilbert, you wound me," he pouted and held his hand over his heart. "I'm just trying to make polite conversation."

"Sure you are," she rolled her eyes and dropped her arms back to her hips, "just tell me what you want me to do?"

"Now there's a _scintillating_ question. What do _I_ want _you_ to _do_…?" he trailed off, rubbing his knuckles along his jaw thoughtfully.

"Around the store I mean, what do you want me to here?"

"The first thing that comes to mind is _me_, but it's still a little early in the day for that, so there's a pallet of new arrivals in the back that need to be shelved."

"I'll start on the second one," she rolled her eyes and pushed past him. He watched her stalk off and he thought that having her around definitely wouldn't be bad for business, especially if she continued to show up in pin-up outfits like the one she had on. He powered up the main computer and flipped the "closed" sign around in the window before retreating to his office to complete some long over-due paperwork.

When Elena swung open the door to the back stock room she felt like she had died and gone to heaven. There were crates and crates of books, new and old, stacked on the dusty wooden shelves. Some of the boxes looked like they hadn't been touched in years and she could only imagine the treasures they held within them. She pulled the crate closest to her off of the shelf and rummaged through its contents. At the bottom was a first edition copy of _Gone With the Wind_ that was undoubtedly worth several hundred, if not several thousand, dollars. She wondered if Damon didn't know or didn't care what was in the boxes and decided that she would make it her personal mission to see to it that these gems were all in good hands before she left. Before she let herself get anymore distracted she peeled herself away from the dusty crate and unwrapped the pallet that Damon had asked her to shelf and got straight to work.

3 3 3

"Alright, the pallet has officially been shelved," she announced as she walked into his office and plopped down in the chair opposite from him and stretched out her legs. For some reason she felt comfortable around him and felt like she could he herself, with no pretenses or facades. "I also took the liberty of re-arranging the postcards on the front counter, and I think you'll have to order more of the waterfall ones. You're almost out of receipt tape, too."

"You did all of that in two hours."

"Yeah, why?" she shrugged.

"Nothing, I'm just not used to people _working_ when they come to work. Ric spends more time reading the new releases than anything else and I sure as hell wouldn't have finished that in two hours."

"I take pride in my work," she grinned. "Would you mind if I looked through the crates in the stockroom? You have some pretty amazing stuff in there."

"Knock yourself out Melon Toes," he smirked.

"Melon Toes? What kind of nickname is that?" Elena laughed.

"Your pedicure," he pointed to her bare feet, which had long been freed from their stiletto prisons since heels were far too impractical for running back and forth between the sales floor and the stockroom.

"Oh, yeah," she blushed, forgetting about her, Bonnie, and Caroline's pedi-party the night before she left Boston. "My friends and I had a nail polish party. I forgot to take it off."

"It's cute," he smiled sincerely. "What the hell is a nail polish party?"

"It's just something that me, Bonnie, and Caroline always do whenever one of us needs a pick-me-up," she explained. "We get a whole bunch of junk food, paint out toes, and watch chick flicks."

"Who are Bonnie and Caroline?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"My two best friends. We met in kindergarten and have been an unstoppable trio of awesome girl power ever since." She loved bragging about her besties, she didn't meet very many people that had a support system like they did. No matter what, she knew she could count on Bonnie and Caroline to have her back, and she'd do the same for either of them.

"Are they hot?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"They are beautiful. They could be models. Caroline was once, actually, the GAP or something."

"So at these nail polish parties, are there like… skimpy pajamas and pillow fights?"

"Yes Damon, we all get dressed in tiny little panties and tank tops, tear open a feather pillow and roll around with each other before we make-out."

"I knew it!" he said and slapped his desk, "_Maxim_ would never lie about something like that. So when are Bonnie and Caroline coming for a visit? More importantly, can I host the next nail polish party?"

"As long as you bring your own mani-pedi kit and matching panty set, I don't see why not," she giggled. She noticed a simple wooden picture frame on his desk that held a photograph of a younger Damon and beautiful girl with short coffee brown hair and piercing green eyes. Damon was kissing the woman on the cheek and she was smiling radiantly for the camera. "Who is she?"

"No one," Damon said and the walls she didn't even notice he had let down sprung right back up.

"She's really pretty. Was she your girlfriend?" she asked, trying to search his face for any small change in countenance that might give him away.

"Did you want to start on those crates today?" he asked flatly making it obvious that his personal life was not currently up for discussion.

"Sure," she said with an eye roll and skulked out of his office. She was determined to learn more about him, but he certainly wasn't making it easy on her.

Damon made sure that Elena was gone before he picked up the picture she had been looking at and ran his thumb affectionately over the young woman's face. He was twenty-one when he met Rose-Marie and she was everything he ever dreamed of finding in a partner: educated, cultured, beautiful, witty, and vibrant. She had been on a backpacking trip for her gap year when they happened to run in to each other in the woods outside of Mystic Falls. Damon was smitten with her smile and generous laughter, but six months later he was head-over-heels in love with her and he was convinced they were soul mates. With his parents' blessing he proposed to her on a perfect August summer night and she accepted without hesitation. The only problem was that Rose's parents back in England were minor nobility and painfully traditional, which meant that a romance with an American from a small town in Virginia that no one had ever heard of was soundly out of the question. To further emphasize their point, they issued Rose an ultimatum: leave Damon or she was going to get cut off. When she told Damon what her parents said he offered to help her pack her bags and give her a ride to the airport. It was the first time that Damon had ever been laughed at, she called him crazy, and told him that her choice was obvious—she chose him. For once in his life, he tried to do the right thing and tried to convince her to go back home to attend Oxford and become a doctor like she planned. He promised her that they could keep their relationship under wraps until she was done with school and, as a grand gesture of his commitment, they wed in secret before he put her on a plane back to England. They kept their marriage from everyone for nearly a year and a half until her parents intercepted one of Damon's letters in the mail that he had affectionately addressed to 'Rose Salvatore.' They promptly disowned her and cut her off from the rest of her family. Damon's parents offered to let her move in and even helped her get a plane ticket to the US.

Damon and his mother were preparing one of the guest rooms for Rose's arrival since the original Mrs. Salvatore thought it would be inappropriate for them to share a room until she got to marry her eldest son off properly. His father solemnly interrupted their chores and bid them to join him in the living room where the evening news was running a special report on a loop: _Oceanic Airlines flight 815 outbound from London Heathrow has experienced catastrophic engine failure over the North Atlantic. Joint coast guard forces from the United States, Canada, and Greenland are en route to the crash site, but experts are saying that likelihood of finding survivors is minimal_. Damon could feel the exact moment that his heart shattered. His beautiful, vivacious, incredible Rose had only been on that plane because of him. She died because of him, and the guilt followed him around every day.

Damon waited and waited to receive any word that Rose's body had been recovered, but it never came. He called the airline and they sent him an updated list every time there was a new development but Rose-Marie Salvatore never appeared among the names. His mother and father had a space dedicated to her in their family tomb and urged Damon to move on before his youth passed him by, but the lack of closure haunted him. Even as crazy as he knew it made him, a small part of him still held out hope that one day she'd be back at his doorstep; that she'd been picked up by a fishing boat and she was shucking oysters in Newfoundland until she could buy a plane ticket, or that she'd accidentally gotten on the wrong flight and was currently hitch-hiking her way through Mongolia to return to him. It was the small bit of hope in the shadowed hidden recesses of his heart that made it possible for him to even get out of bed in the morning. He refused to leave Mystic Falls on the trillion to one chance that she was out there somewhere, making her way back to him.

It wasn't long after the crash that Katherine breezed into his life in all her seductive glory. In his grief-addled haze, she seemed like the answer to all of his problems. She was nothing like Rose; where Rose had been kind-hearted and gentle, Katherine was self-centered and snide. He could be around Katherine without being reminded of the woman he lost. He knew that everyone around him, especially Ric, blamed Katherine for the way he was and he was more than happy to let her take the blame, but the truth is that she was never worth the heartache. She was just an outlet for his sorrow and culpability that, as an added bonus, happened to be wrapped in a pretty sexy package. Katherine allowed him to satisfy his desire for physical intimacy without ever having to become emotionally invested; in short, he could sleep with her and not feel guilty about still being in love with someone else at the same time. He never loved Katherine because he had given his whole heart away to Rose long before Katherine came along. The only reason he was even pissed about her leaving him for Stefan was that he had to actually go out and interact with women if he wanted to get laid, and it bruised his ego to lose out to his baby brother.

Damon dreamt of Rose every single night for four years but on the night he met Elena Rose never came to him. He'd had the same dream of opening his front door to find Rose and her suitcase on the other side thousands of times, but when he opened the door the night before last it was Elena, not Rose, waiting for him with her sassy grin and red dress. Perhaps that was why he was so desperate to keep Elena in Mystic Falls or perhaps he was just intrigued by the ease with which she had managed to find her way into the deepest nooks of his psyche, but whatever it was Elena Gilbert was rapidly getting under his skin and he felt like that wasn't necessarily the worst thing in the world.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think, too sad? I wanted to do something a little more original and I always really liked Rose and Damon's relationship :) Sorry again for the chapter shuffle, but I'm feeling a lot better about the storyline now. **

**XOXO ~Anna**


	5. Chapter 5: Pale Fire

_Hello again! New chapter! Thank you for all of the feedback from the last chapter :) I am really glad that the decision to involve Rose was well received. Hope you all enjoy the update :D_

_KellyJo93- Thank you! I thought it'd be a fun twist :)_

_Miss-Tyk- Thank you! I hope you enjoy the update :D_

_Delenalover- Thank you thank you :) I hope you like the new chapter!_

_irishmauve- Thank you for the review! As much as I like Katherine, I figured a relationship with Rose could be a really sweet story :)_

_Dark-Supernatural-Angel- Thank you! New update hot from the e-press :) I'm glad you liked the insight, there's a little insight to Elena's situation in this chapter but much more to come!_

_scarlett2112- Thank you! I figured it'd be nice for Damon to have a nice dad for once :) I tried to capture the sarcastic Damon humor we all love so much, I hope it worked. I'm really looking forward to working out his character in terms of his past with Rose :)_

_bellax0xchristina- Thank you! I hope the update doesn't disappoint :)_

_LovexAndxFate- Thank you for the awesome reviews :D There's a little more of Damon's softer side in this chapter, I hope you like it!_

_Nunee- Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)_

_DEandMEthreeway- Thank you! Much drama and angst ahead for you :) There are going to be some ups and downs (ie: BIG ups and downs ;)_

_MelissaSomerhalder- Thank you for the review! Elena definitely isn't planning to go back to Boston anytime soon ;)_

_VampireGleek77- Thank you! I love writing sassy Elena because I think her character has so much potential that doesn't come across on the show :)_

_kaybaby1127- Omg, you got the LOST reference, I love you! I hope you like chapter 5 :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Vampire Diaries_, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

Elena was stretched out on the stock room floor happily humming along to U2 on her iPod and looking through the old wooden crates of books. The black dress she was wearing was streaked with dust and her perky ponytail had drooped down low on her head, but she was engrossed in her task. She had already built several stacks; there was a stack for rare and collectible books, a stack for books that needed to be rebound, a stack of books fated to the sales floor, and a stack of books she wanted to read for herself. Her brown eyes lit up when she found a first edition copy of Hemingway's classic, _The Sun Also Rises_, and she carefully cradled it in her hands, turning the pages as though they were the finest gold leaf. An angry silverfish stormed out of the binding, wriggling his long antennae in malediction at the usurper of his kingdom. Elena giggled at the valiant little insect and carried the book carefully to the backdoor to shake him out on the grass and bid him to find other, less treasured, castles to dwell in. When she turned around with an admiring smile painted across her face she saw Damon leaning against the door watching her carefully.

"Lady Elena Gilbert, patron protectress of pests everywhere," he announced dramatically with an amused half smile.

"What?" she frowned as she pulled one ear bud free to hear him better, "it's not his fault that you left him such a tempting pile binding glue and paper to chow down on. You set that poor guy up for failure." She squeezed past Damon, letting her shoulder brush against his even though there was more than enough room to pass without touching. She settled back into her place on the floor as casually as she knew how and drew in another crate. Damon took a seat on the ground across from her and pulled a box of his own over. It didn't take him long to figure out Elena's organization techniques and he took a keen interest in one particular stack; taking a chance he confidently put a vintage copy of Malory's _Le Morte d'Arthur_ on top of the stack that he assumed was for her own personal enjoyment.

"This used to be one of my favorites!" she gasped as she snatched up the book. "How did you guess?"

"You seem like the kind of girl who enjoys heroic romance…" he paused and looked at her, only finishing his sentence when their eyes met, "literature."

"I do, thanks," Elena smiled and blushed feverishly. In some small way it was frustrating that he could read her so easily and seemed to have her figured out from the moment they met at the bar but she couldn't get a clear read on him for the life of her. She took a break from sorting and leaned against one of the shelves facing Damon and flipped through the illustrated pages of the book he had found. Every once in a while she glanced up at him, only to see him still concentrating on his task, his face giving away nothing as to what was going on in his head. His staunch reluctance to share anything with her ignited her creative mind and she imagined what his past might have been like. He could be a tragic romantic hero, burdened by fealty to a woman he loved but had somehow lost, a brave man tormented by demons hiding in his own history masking his pain with charm and sarcasm; he was an amalgam of Heathcliff and Rochester, with all the swagger of James Dean.

Elena was so caught up in her musings that she didn't even notice Damon staring back at her. When her eyes found his beautiful azure gaze she looked away quickly and flushed crimson. He chuckled quietly and was still smiling when she peeked through her eyelashes at him. Their silent flirting was interrupted by the cheerful jingle of the doorbell.

"Roshambo?" Damon said and held out his fist to see who had to go take care of the customer. Elena sat up and her knees and held out her own fist with a playful grin.

"Ellie Mae!" A chipper voice cut through the silence of the store. Elena dropped her hand and bolted from the stockroom, leaving Damon more than a little confused.

"Oh my gosh, Caroline!" Elena exclaimed when she saw her bubbly blonde friend in the entryway. A beautiful dark-haired young woman followed behind her, "Bonnie!" Elena crossed the store in seconds and threw her arms around her friends, pulling them into a tight hug. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well after you texted last night about your new gig, we figured—" Bonnie began.

"ROADTRIP!" Caroline excitedly finished her sentence, "we went to your place, got all the things you asked for and _voilà!_ Here we are! And we have a special guest for you…" Caroline held up a black pet carrier and without a moment's hesitation Elena unzipped the top and pulled out a quizzical-looking tuxedo cat.

"Miss Moppet! Oh my gosh, I missed you so much pudgy girl!" she cooed and snuggled her face into the cat's fur.

"You're lucky I brought her, I was going to keep her. She's the perfect little pillow warmer," Caroline smiled. Elena had dropped Miss Moppet off with Bonnie and Caroline before she left Boston knowing that once Caroline spent a few days with the loveable fluff ball she may never get her back.

"So where's Mysterious Hottie Boss Guy?" Bonnie asked, peeking over Elena's shoulder anxiously.

"Whoa Bon, ixnay on the 'boss,'" Elena said quietly, hoping Damon hadn't already heard Bonnie's new sobriquet for him.

"Mysterious Hottie Boss Guy is just fine with me, better than Mysterious Hottie Bar Guy, don't you think Ellie Mae?" Damon smirked as he approached the three women. He'd be sure to ask her about her nickname later.

"Whatever," Elena rolled her eyes with a small smile, "Damon this is Bonnie and Caroline."

"Enchanted," he smiled charmingly and shook each other their hands. "Elena speaks so highly of you both."

"And _this_," Elena said holding her cat closer to him, "is Miss Moppet, the best cat in the world."

"Pleasure," he said and shook her little white paw. Miss Moppet just looked at him with wide green eyes and flicked her long whiskers. Bonnie winked at Elena and she blushed at Damon's antics. It had only been two minutes and her best friends were already in love with him, this could only mean trouble.

"So, how long are you guys in town for?" Elena asked hopefully.

"Just for today," Bonnie answered with a frown. "I know, sad face. But I have a dissertation meeting and Shane will kill me if I bail again." Bonnie was in the final stretch of her PhD research at Harvard; she was studying folklore and history of the occult under the brilliant, but eccentric, Professor Atticus Shane. Caroline and Elena relentlessly teased her about her relationship with her professor but Bonnie remained tight-lipped as to the details.

"Oh, so it's just S_hane_ now," Caroline jabbed.

"Caroline Forbes, like you are one to talk! How many times have you've been out for 'after-work drinks' with Mr. Mikaelson?" Bonnie shot back.

"Klaus is actually a really nice guy, I'll have you know," Caroline said defensively with her hand on her hip.

"Oh, so it's just _Klaus_ now," Elena laughed. Damon watched her interacting with her friends and smiled slightly. If he allowed it, he could quite easily see himself becoming far-more-than-smitten with the way her eyes lit up when she laughed and the delicate pink sheen that rose to her cheeks when her friends joshed with her. He wondered why she was so determined to re-shape herself when she was already so genuinely beautiful.

"Can we steal Elena for an early dinner?" Caroline interrupted the laughter and looked expectantly at Damon.

"Actually, Damon, why don't you join us?" Bonnie suggested, Caroline nudged her elbow and they both just smiled like they were in on something Elena wasn't.

"Ah, Bon, I don't th—" Elena started with a slight grimace.

"I would love to. Thank you for the invitation Bonnie." He would have turned down the invite and let Elena enjoy her time with her friends but seeing her squirm at the mention of him joining their soiree was enough to convince him otherwise.

"I can't go!" Elena said louder than necessary. "I mean I can't go right now, I have to go take Miss Moppet back to my room, and I don't want to keep you waiting Damon."

"Nonsense, let her roam around the store. So many shelves and hiding spots, it's like kitty Disneyland," Damon insisted with a cocky smirk.

"Yeah, she can stretch her fuzzy little legs after being in the car all day," Caroline enthusiastically agreed, taking Miss Moppet from Elena's arms and setting her on the counter. "Perfect, let's go. I am starved!"

Elena took one last look at her cat hoping she would protest and get her out of her uncomfortable situation, but she swished her white-tipped tail and jumped off the counter to rove the hidden nooks of the store.

"Traitor," she mumbled under her breath and followed Damon and her best friends out onto the street. Caroline and Bonnie both had an arm looped through one of Damon's and he was very clearly enjoying himself. She couldn't make out their conversation but she did catch her own name a few times along with the words "single" and "dancing." Elena followed behind them giving her friends her best evil eye and muttering plans for revenge to herself.

3 3 3

"Can I get you ladies anything from the bar?" Damon offered after their food arrived. Mystic Grill was really the only restaurant option in town and, despite Damon's insistence that she would soon tire of it, Elena really enjoyed their food.

"I'll have a margarita," Caroline piped in.

"Me too!" Bonnie added.

"Elena?" he asked, but smirked without giving her a chance to answer, "I already know what you want." Caroline and Bonnie sighed as they watched Damon walk to the bar to order their drinks.

"Wow, Elena!" Caroline almost yelled. "He is ridiculously hot. When you said he was attractive I had no idea _that's_ what you meant."

"He's a little pretty," Elena replied quietly and tried to hide her warm cheeks.

"A little pretty?! He's like a freaking work of art! I approve. Your babies will be so cute, and their auntie Caroline can buy them the cutest clothes to match their teeny little blue eyes."

"So, give us the scoop Lena!" Bonnie asked, leaning over the table eagerly. "What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing," Elena shrugged but both of her friends just looked at her in disbelief from across the booth. "I'm serious you guys, there's _nothing_ going on between Damon and me."

"So you haven't slept with him again?" Bonnie pressed.

"No! That was a one-time thing, and I had had a little bit to drink and I was in a really bad place and… it's just not happening again! He didn't even try when he came by last night," Elena shook her head and hoped she didn't sound too disappointed.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Caroline stopped her suddenly, "he came by last night? Why didn't you mention that? What happened? What did he say? Why did he come by? What did you talk about?"

"He brought me dinner to apologize for getting me fired, well sort of apologize in his own way, I guess… anyways, he offered to publish my book, and hired me for the store."

"He offered to publish your book," Bonnie swooned, "that is so romantic."

"You're totally into him," Caroline stated as though it were a clear fact.

"No, I'm not," Elena argued and shoved a fry in her mouth as a distraction. She tried to covertly sneak a glance at Damon who was laughing at something the bartender was saying. _God, he's gorgeous when he laughs_, she thought to herself.

"You so are, look at your face! You're blushing!" Caroline pointed out.

"I'm _not_ into him," Elena shook her head and blushed even more. "I have the feeling he's got major baggage. He's snarky and rude and obnoxious."

"And handsome and sweet and _he's_ obviously into _you_," Bonnie added. "A hot rebound fling wouldn't be the worst thing for you, you know. Matt's already moved on."

"Bonnie!" Caroline hissed.

"He… he has?" Elena murmured looking down at her hands where she used to wear the promise ring Matt gave her in tenth grade.

"No!" Caroline answered still glaring at Bonnie. "What Bonnie _meant_ to say was that Matt has desperately been trying, _and failing_, to find someone to fill the giant void in his life. And that Rebekah girl has nothing on you, sweetie."

"Rebekah? Like Rebekah Mikaelson?" Elena cringed. First her job, and now her boyfriend, Rebekah was having a banner year so far and it wasn't even February yet.

"That sounds familiar, but she's so over the top and she tries _way_ too hard. She doesn't have your fashion sense or your amazing sense of humor. Seriously Lena, look up 'downgrade' in the dictionary and there's Matt and that slag." Caroline finished abruptly when she saw Damon returning. Bonnie and Caroline both gave Elena subtle thumbs up and fell into a fit of giggles.

"You ladies look like you're having fun. Elena, martini for you," he smiled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "extra dirty." She blushed wildly and couldn't believe that he remember the drink she ordered when they first met, or that he turned her drink of preference into a sexual innuendo. Nope… actually she could believe that last part.

"So Elena says you're going to publish her book," Bonnie said with a bright smile. If any could extract information from an unwilling party it would be Bonnie and her special brand of soft charm. "She's a great author, you know? I think you're going to be impressed."

"Is that right?" Damon asked looking over to Elena who was quite obviously uncomfortable to be the center of the conversation.

"No book talk," Elena said with a hard edge to her voice. She would never admit it to anyone but she was starting to hate her book. At one time, it was her baby and she poured her heart and soul into it but with each rejection she felt like her dream was slipping further and further away from her. She spent hours hovering around the _New Releases_ rack at Barnes & Noble trying to get a feel for what publishers were looking for, but always left feeling defeated and inadequate. She hadn't even put her pen to paper since she got the last letter and was fully intending to give up on writing all together. Indeed, she already applied for fall admission to Boston University's teaching credential program, she figured that if she couldn't be a writer she could at least try to bring the love of the written word to students.

"Right," Bonnie smiled sheepishly in apology. "How about we go pick out some songs then?" she pulled a reluctant Elena out of the booth and over to the juke box.

"Okies," Caroline sighed and looked critically at Damon, "so I'm probably so stepping over the line right now, but I can tell you're into Elena."

"I just met her," Damon scoffed lightly. He should have seen the girlfriend defense tag team coming as soon as Bonnie grabbed Elena's hand.

"Right, and if you ever to anything to hurt her, you'll be sorry, _really_ sorry. I don't want to give too much away, but Bonnie is like a witch doctor and she'll hex you for life so you can never get it up again, and I'll just scratch your pretty blue eyes out."

"Duly noted," Damon nodded.

"I mean it Hottie Boss Guy," Caroline emphasized by pointing a very stern finger in his direction.

"Elena and I are just friends," Damon shrugged unconvincingly. In some small way he was relieved that he hadn't been imagining the palpable tension and chemistry between him and Elena.

"Don't think I've been missing the eye sex that's been going between you."

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, and for some reason looked right at Elena at the same moment she was looking at him: cosmic freaking coincidence.

"Right there," Caroline pointed out, "_that_ right there and I know you two already slept together." Damon opened his mouth to deny it for Elena's sake, but she shushed him. "Don't even bother, she texted me right after you left."

"What else did she say?"

"Well seeing as she's still in Mystic Falls instead of back home with us, what do you think?" Caroline answered obliquely. "Just be nice to her, ok?"

"Since I like my eyes right where they are… ok."

"Good," Caroline said in a peppy voice. "ugh, I'm sorry, I really hate doing that but Bonnie sucks at it and someone has to be the bad guy, you know?"

"I do indeed," he said with raised eyebrows.

The rest of their dinner was pleasant and mostly filled with embarrassing stories about awkward adolescent Elena, which Damon enjoyed immensely. By the end of the night Caroline and Bonnie were a giggling mess of margarita-induced reminiscing. At some point Damon had casually stretched his arm around Elena's shoulder and decided to leave it there when she leaned into his side. During one particularly funny story she inadvertently put her hand on his knee when she leaned over the table, like his arm, her hand stayed put for the rest of the night. To an outsider they would have looked like a happy couple and Damon couldn't help but consider the possibility. Elena was glad that her friends were too drunk to notice her and Damon's closeness lest she stay up all night answering uncomfortable questions from the girls. Whatever was going on between them was nice and it felt good, she didn't want to wreck it by struggling for a label or a title.

3 3 3

"So does Caroline threaten to claw everyone's eyeballs out," Damon asked quietly as they headed back to Elena's hotel. Bonnie and Caroline were walking slightly ahead of him and Elena, with their arms linked still snickering madly.

"Yeah," Elena answered, rolling her eyes slightly. Leave it to her best friends to make an awkward situation even worse with the threat of physical assault. She shivered slightly as a gust of wind rustled through her thin jacket, without missing a beat Damon put an arm around her and drew her closer to him.

"Damn, I thought I was special," he pouted.

"Oh poor baby. You _are_ special, you are unique snowflake," she cooed in jest before looking at him honestly. "Thank you for joining us tonight. I'm glad you got to meet Bonnie and Care."

"I am too," he stopped at the stairs of her hotel.

"Bye Hottie Boss Guy," Caroline and Bonnie waved drunkenly.

"Bye Team Girl Power," Damon waved coyly as the girls scampered up the stairs leaving him and Elena to say a proper goodnight. He looked down at her and she could have sworn he was going to try to kiss her, but instead he pressed his lips to the back of her hand. "Goodnight, Elena," he smiled. Before she could let her talk herself out of it, she popped up on her toes and brushed her lips softly against his, leaving him shocked and disoriented.

"Goodnight, Damon," she said quietly and walked up the stairs without looking back, taking immense pride in knowing that he was watching her leave.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that one, I tried to include a little bit about Elena' insecurities regarding her writing but I'm planning on getting into it a lot more as the story goes on. R&R, I really appreciate it :D**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	6. Chapter 6: The Remains of the Day

_Hi again! Fresh update to round out the weekend :) Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys wow me every single time! I'll also have a new chapter up for _AYATM_ later this evening_ _since I'm on a major writing kick. I hope everyone likes the update!_

_KellyJo93- Thanks for reading and reviewing :) I hope you like the update!_

_Cherriesandapples- Thank you! I hope you like the new chapter, there's a little more Miss Moppet... every girl needs a feline side kick ;)_

_Dark-Supernatural-Angel- Thank you :) I like the idea of Elena taking control of what she wants instead of letting it come to her. She's out for a new beginning, and she's gonna get it!_

_bellax0xchristina- Thanks for the awesome review :) I liked Elena-Bonnie-Caroline much better before the drama got int eh way because they were such a cool group of girlfriends. Long live gal pals!_

_ash512forever- Thank you! I hope you like the new chapter :)_

_scarlett2112- Thank you for the great, kind words Carol! I really like the bookstore concept too, especially with Elena wanting to be a writer. I notice in the show there's always stacks of books lying around so someone must be a bibliophile :)_

_AlyssaIanSomerhalder- Thank you for the review :) I couldn't resist Team Girl Power, haha. "Hottie Boss Guy" is a creation of one of my hilarious musies, I loved it!_

_SWEETDREAMS25- Thank you so much, you're so sweet! Hope you like the new update :)_

_VampireGleek77- Thanks! I hope you like where they continue to go in the new chapter ;)_

_PrincessSparkel15- Thank you for R&R! I love your SN, one of my old roommates had a Captain Oats :D_

_CharlSmith- Thank you, thank you! I hope you like the update... there will be more assertive Elena as the story progresses ;)_

_dakotaTVD- Thank you! Hope you enjoy the new chapter :)_

_kaybaby1127- Thank you! Elena needed the push from Bonnie and Caroline to get Damon out to dinner and I liked the idea of him getting to know her friends a little better :) _

_Littlemissartsi- Thank you! Enjoy the update :)_

_Alice- Thank you for the review! Caroline is one of my favorite characters, and I really like Bonnie too (when she's not being too Judgy ;) I hope you like the update!_

_myosh- Thanks a million. Fresh update for you! More to come for AYATM later today too, just have to check it over again and add a little more :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Vampire Diaries_, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

Despite relentless teasing from Caroline and Bonnie about what they dubbed as "Damongate" and a bad cold, the rest of the week breezed by and Elena found that she and Miss Moppet were settling into their new life in Mystic Falls quite comfortably. She'd moved out of her room at Lockwood Manor into one of the many furnished rental houses that Carol managed around town. In a little over a week she had gone from a chic minimalist loft apartment in an exclusive downtown neighborhood of Boston to a cozy 3-bedroom house with a porch swing on the quiet outskirts of small town suburbia. For the first time in a long time she had a job that she enjoyed and a little place in the sun to call her own, it was _almost_ enough to make her want to write again. She'd even gone so far as to set up a writing desk by one of the sun-soaked windows at the back of the house, replete with her favorite blue Bic stick pens and her brain food of choice, a drawer full of peanut M & Ms. The beaten black Moleskine notebook that once held all of her aspirations and dreams, however, remained deeply buried in one of the boxes Bonnie and Caroline had trucked in from Boston. Things were going well, but not so well as to be faced with a glaring emblem of her failure and anxiety everyday. Unpacking clothes would be a much less provocative endeavor so she hauled a heavy suitcase upstairs to the master bedroom.

Then there was the matter of Damon; he had become something of a hobby to her. Elena had always been good at reading people but Damon Salvatore was a veritable stone fortress. On one hand, he was brazenly candid and straightforward, yet on the other he was unyieldingly reticent. She could count the paltry list of things she knew about him on her fingers: his father passed away recently, he had a penchant for expensive bourbon, and he took his coffee black, sometimes with a dash of cinnamon sometimes without. When she mentioned the bookstore to Carol while signing her new lease she said that Damon's mother lived with him on the other side of town, and the barista at the café that she stopped at for her breakfast latte mentioned that he usually ran in the mornings. Every time that Elena tried to steer their conversations to learn more about him he either clammed up and withdrew instantly or changed the subject with a vastly inappropriate comment. Ric was of no help in her quest and insisted that she just keep trying to reach Damon so the more he pushed her away the more doggedly she pursued her goal. If he thought avoidance and displacement would work with Elena, he had another thing coming.

"Are you moving your grandmother in with you?" Damon's voice echoed in her nearly empty bedroom. Elena spun around, grabbing at her racing heart within her chest to see Damon leaning against the doorframe, holding up a pair of her plain boy short panties.

"Good lord, you scared the living daylights out of me Damon! You can't just sneak up on someone like that!" she growled and snatched her delicates from him, throwing them into the drawer she was organizing before his interruption.

"So those are yours?" he smirked and maneuvered around her to flop onto her bed. "Retro sexy."

"Please, make yourself comfortable," she frowned, trying to give him an intimidating glare but he just stretched his arms behind his head and cocked an eyebrow at her. "What do you want, Damon?" she rolled her eyes and threw an empty box at him.

"Ric and his lady are having a barbeque this afternoon and wanted to know if you were interested in joining."

"Yeah, sure. I'd like that very much," Elena smiled, flattered to be invited somewhere.

"Great," Damon smiled and hopped off the bed, "let's go."

"Now?" she gaped at him. "I can't go now. I need to shower and straighten my hair still."

"Nonsense, you look… fine," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. He'd never complain about her polished woman-out-to-conquer-the-world pencil skirts and no-nonsense ironed ponytails, but the subtle sensual waves her hair naturally fell into suited her better in his opinion.

"Ugh," she grumbled and sneezed gracelessly, "at least let me change first."

"Be my guest," Damon gestured.

"The stairs are that way," she pointed out the door. "I'll be down in a minute."

"Nothing I haven't seen before, remember?" he asked huskily. She just crossed her arms and stared at him determinedly, as tempting as a repeat of the night they met was she wasn't going to give into him. "Fine… I'll wait downstairs," he pouted and made a production of moping out of her room.

He figured he could at least occupy himself by snooping through her things while she changed; the photo albums on her coffee table drew his attention immediately. There were pictures of Elena as a little girl and a young boy (who he assumed was her brother) building a sand castle at the beach, Elena being mobbed by pigeons in Central Park, her in a cheerleading uniform waving pom-poms with Caroline and Bonnie, and her holding a tiny black and white kitten with a bow around its neck in front of a Christmas tree. When he turned the page to see a picture of Elena kissing a boy in a letterman's jacket he felt a surge of jealousy thrum in his veins. What made it even worse was that she looked happy; she was smiling against the boy's lips and had her arms snaked around his neck affectionately. He could only guess that the jock was the boyfriend who just broke up with her over his bonehead life map plan. _And good riddance Quarterback_, he groaned internally. The last time he kissed Elena, she definitely wasn't smiling some shy schoolgirl smile but he wondered if maybe that wouldn't be so bad.

"Should I leave you alone to spy some more?" Elena chided. When he turned and saw her he didn't even have a comeback, he just stared. She was draped in a yellow gossamer sundress that caressed the svelte curves of her torso and spread into a full skirt that danced around her knees with a playful flounce. The green peep-toe heels she wore only made her lean legs look even longer and matched the chunky beaded necklace that perched elegantly on her collarbones.

"Wow," he managed after a few seconds. "Quite a departure from the corporate dominatrix who shows up to work everyday."

"It's called _professional attire_, Damon, and no one wears that kind of stuff to a backyard barbeque. Now are you ready to go or do you need a few more minutes to laugh at my high school years?" she asked with a sniffle.

"After you," Damon smiled and followed her out to his car, watching her appreciatively at every step. "Are you sick?" he asked when they got into his car. He'd like to think he was asking as a courtesy, but he actually did care if she was unwell.

"No, not really, just a cold or allergies," she shrugged, "lots of new plants and trees I didn't have in Boston." The rest of the twenty-minute drive to Ric's was filled with Damon gently making fun of Elena's high school pictures and lewd comments about her cheerleading years.

"Just a warning," Damon shrugged as he knocked on the door of the Saltzman house, "Jenna is _very_ affectionate." No sooner than he finished a beaming redhead swung the door open and pulled Elena into a bone-jarring hug.

"You must be Elena Gilbert!" Jenna grinned, "I've heard _so_ much about you. Please, come in, come in. Make yourself at home, dinner is almost done so I hope you're hungry." Damon tried to follow Elena into the house but Jenna stopped him with a vicious finger jab to his chest. "Not you," she frowned.

"Jen, come on… I apologized for that YouTube video. It's not my fault your Lady Gaga rendition went viral overnight." He smiled as charmingly as he knew how.

"You are not stepping foot in this house until you give me an answer Salvatore: yes or no?" she glared at him.

"Can I give you an answer next week?"

"Sure, I'll have Ric bring you a plate when dinner is finished," Jenna smiled before closing the door on Damon and flipping the deadbolt. She turned around, beaming at Elena, "I've always wanted to do that."

"What are you waiting on an answer for?" Elena asked curiously as she watched Damon jog around to the side of the house. Perhaps Jenna could be the font of information she had been searching for.

"Ric asked Damon if he would be our child's godfather _four months_ ago. He keeps going back and forth one day it's 'oh guys, I'm honored you'd ask me,' and the next day it's 'I'd be such a bad influence on your tiny human,'" Jenna imitated in a deep mocking tone and patted her pregnant belly. "But it's almost time and he just has to man up and make a decision! Men and their baggage, right?"

"He seems to have a lot of it," Elena observed.

"Lemonade?" Jenna offered a chilled tumbler to Elena, "and yeah… a _whole_ lot of baggage. I don't know that specifics but he's hot, rich, and not entirely repulsive most of the time yet he hasn't had a stable relationship in the whole time I've known him. Then there's the brother thing."

"Brother thing?"

"Him and his little brother, Stefan, have some deep-seated sibling rivalry thing going on. Damon used to gallivant around with Stefan's wife before they got married, something Damon has never let Stefan forget; of course Stefan never lets Damon forget that Katherine dropped his ass without a second thought… so I guess it goes both ways."

"That sounds pretty harsh. I didn't even know he had a brother," Elena commented, hoping Jenna wasn't done with her stories yet. "Do Stefan and Katherine still live here?"

"They live in Richmond, but come out every weekend to see Mama Salvatore," Jenna answered and looked out the window. "Ugh, we need a higher fence," she groaned when she saw Damon and Ric sharing beers over the barbeque grill. Elena couldn't help but giggle a little when Damon dramatically bowed to Jenna.

"Honey, look what I found on the porch," Ric pointed to Damon, "can we keep him?"

"No! Put him back where you found him until we get an answer," Jenna yelled back out the window.

"He said yes. So, can we keep him?" Ric answered. Jenna turned to Elena with wide-eyes.

"Ric was totally right, you really are changing him," she said. Elena didn't know what to say and awkwardly sipped her lemonade hoping Jenna wouldn't dwell on it too long. Luckily dinner was nearly ready so Elena narrowly evaded any uncomfortable questions. As much as she'd like to think she was the cause for Damon's apparent change she couldn't really take any credit for it because she didn't even know him to begin with; instead she chalked it up to happy coincidence.

By the end of dinner Elena came to the conclusion that Ric and Jenna were the most adorable couple she'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. They both seemed so happy and in love with each other, even more, it just seemed to come naturally to them. If she didn't know better, she would have assumed that they were newly weds who were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. She couldn't help but be a _little_ envious of them. At one time in her life, she believed with every fiber of her being that she and Matt would be in love like that; they'd be the high school sweethearts who beat the odds and got their happily ever after. Then life and careers and priorities got in the way. She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss Matt, but she'd also be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the freedom and possibility of falling in love all over again. She glanced over at Damon and dangerously allowed herself to wonder what he would be like in love. Would he be romantic? Sweet? Affectionate? Would he be the picnic in the park kind of boyfriend or the elaborate dinner date kind of boyfriend? _No point in even venturing in the neighborhood of that rabbit hole_, she told herself.

3 3 3

"Hey Ric," Damon looked around the store the next morning and frowned, "I thought Elena was opening with you this morning?"

"She called in sick," Ric answered without looking up from the newspaper he had spread out on the counter. "Flu or something. She sounded pretty bad on the phone."

"Oh. Can you hold down the fort for a few hours?" Damon asked, pulling his jacket back on. "I just have a couple of errands I forgot about." Ric just smiled, knowing exactly where Damon was headed.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ric waved his hand towards the door. As soon as Damon was out the door he pulled out his phone and sent a text to his wife. "Yep" was all that his message said, but he knew Jenna would know exactly what he was talking about.

3 3 3

"Elena?" he called out, slowly opening the front door to her house. Miss Moppet sashayed over to him and lazily rubbed against his shins in greeting. "Hey Cat, where's your mom?"

"Damon?" Elena's stuffy voice rang out from her bedroom. He followed the sound of her voice and found her bundled up in bed surrounded by balled up tissues and a half empty bag of cough drops. "What are you doing here?" She asked with palpable panic as she desperately tried to flatten her hair and wipe the sleep from her eyes.

"Ric said that you were incubating the next viral plague," he smirked as he sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "I figured that you could use a little bit of the top secret Salvatore flu remedy."

"You came over to check on me?" she asked with a hint of wonder in her voice.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't dead," he shrugged, not wanting to appear _too_ eager to care for her. "Now sit up and eat, this is going to get cold," he instructed as he unpacked a Tupperware container of chicken and rice soup and a can of ginger ale.

"What is it?"

"It's just soup but it'll make you feel better." He handed her the container and she tasted a small spoonful carefully, trying not to burn her lips.

"Oh my gosh, Damon! This is amazing."

"Old family recipe. I couldn't find noodles, so I used rice instead."

"You _made_ this?!" she exclaimed. She'd never had homemade soup before. Her mom had always been too busy teaching to cook, even when she was sick, so it was always Campbell's condensed soup and take away.

"I know my way around a kitchen, yes. Kind of a hobby," he brushed a tendril of hair from her forehead but pulled his fingers back immediately when they touched her skin. "You are burning up, Elena. Did you take anything for your fever?"

"No, I'm too cold to get out of bed."

"You need to get that fever down. Where's your Tylenol?"

"In the medicine cabinet," she pointed to the bathroom adjoining her room. He made quick work of retrieving the bottle returned with two caplets and a glass of water.

"Don't you have a store to run Dr. Damon?"

"It makes Ric feel important to be in charge every once on a while," Damon shrugged. Elena started to laugh but was overcome with a violent fit of coughing that wracked her sore ribs and brought tears to her eyes. She panted shallowly to try to catch her breath without inciting another episode, but every breath felt like sandpaper in her lungs. Damon tenderly rubbed her back and handed her the glass of water on her nightstand.

"Thank you," she rasped out with a small grateful smile and dabbed the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. She had been absolutely miserable all night and had wanted nothing more than to pass out and wake up when she felt better, but with Damon's company she already felt much improved. She was so touched by the simple act of stopping by and bringing her soup that she started to tear up again.

"Come here," he said as he leaned against the headboard and stretched out his arm for bring her closer to him.

"You're soft," Elena mumbled against his chest as she snuggled into his side.

"That's always my goal when I work out… getting soft and fuzzy."

"Well I know you'd say something inappropriate if I said you were hard."

"Not with your snotty nose and goopy eyes, I'm not."

"I'm so comfortable right now, I can't even be offended."

"Good," he smiled and rubbed her back.

"Mmm, that feels nice," she murmured. The muscles of her back had been splitting with pain from her coughing fits but as his fingers danced over them they calmed and relinquished their spears. Too weak and exhausted to worry about being needy she melted against his chest. "Do you want to stay? For just a little while?"

"I'll stay, go to sleep," he said and kissed the top of her head before pulling her blanket tightly around her. He continued the soothing circles he was tracing on her back until he was certain that she was sleep. Her lungs rattled under his palms with each breath and he wondered if she shouldn't wake up for a hot bath to help with her congestion. Her fever did, at least, seem to be breaking and he was able to extract himself from her to get a wet washcloth for her forehead. He didn't know what was happening to him; he was a borderline germaphobe, yet here he was cuddling with a sick girl he hardly knew and enjoying it. The slip of a woman who was sleeping in his arms aroused a primitive masculine instinct deep in his psyche; he wanted to carry her away and protect her and provide for her. For the first time in a long time he was looking at a woman and seeing more than just sex, he saw shared holidays and making dinner together on Friday nights, he saw late night phone conversations and awkwardly meeting her parents. He saw a future.

The images swimming in his head both confused and terrified him. He hadn't wanted any of that since Rose, he hadn't _allowed_ anyone to make him want that since Rose but there was something about Elena that he couldn't turn away from. No matter how roughly he tried to shove her away and make her dislike him she just kept coming back with her witty banter and dazzling smiling. He wanted to think that he stuck around for the rush of the pursuit, for the rush of being pursued but he knew it wasn't true; Damon wouldn't even repeat the word in his head, he wouldn't allow himself to even bring the thought to completion but the reason he stuck around started with a 'L' and bore a striking resemblance to 'dove.' Although he couldn't say for sure, all signs indicated that he was headed in that direction with the brunette-cum-culture-plate asleep on his chest. The weight of his almost-revelation sucked the oxygen from the room and he felt like he was suffocating. He had to get away from her, had to get away from _them_ before he said something he didn't want to be ready to say.

When Elena woke up a few hours later, Damon was gone.

* * *

**A/N: Uh oh... developments happening... I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. I'm thinking this is going to be a 20+ chapter deal because I've got some crazy things planned for them ;) Let me know what you think, happy reading friends!**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	7. Chapter 7: Portrait of the Artist

_Hi readers! Sorry for taking a little bit to post, I was kind of lost at this chapter, but I've got a pretty good map of where to go from here. Thank you so much for the amazing feedback, you guys are so awesome! Let me know what you think of this chapter. Happy reading!_

_Dark-Supernatural-Angel- Sorry! I should have been more clear, Jenna and Elena are not related, but they will become good friends. Thanks for R & R! :)_

_Everafterjunkie- Thanks for your review! I hope you enjoy the update :)_

_DEandMEthreeway- Some drama here, but not too much... yet ;)_

_bellax0xchristina- Ric and Damon are my favorite duo, I was so sad when the show killed poor Ric but he lives in the fan fic universe :) Hope you like the new chapter!_

_scarlett2112- Thank you Carol! That's the impression I get of Damon's character too, that all the bravado just covers up really deep-seated insecurities which I guess when you think about it, is really one of the most human problems someone could deal with. It's an interesting perspective to write from. Stumbles and pot holes for sure... but you know me and happy endings, I love them! :)_

_Debbie1689- He'll be back ;)_

_SWEETDREAMS25- Thank you for your kind words! I hope you like the update :)_

_katiekay30- Eek, good luck on your paper... that's what I should be doing right now too, but this is more fun ;) I hope you like the new chapter!_

_VampireGleek77- Thank you for your awesome review! I hope you like the new chapter, kind of a cliffy but plenty of D/E to e-snuggle :D_

_CharlSmith- Thank you! I hope you like the new update :D_

_myosh- Thank you! Ric and Jenna will definitely be fixtures in the story. I'm glad people are excited about a long fic, I was a little nervous about losing people with so many chapters :)_

_Cherriesandapples- Thanks a bunches! I hope you like the new chapter, he sticks around for the whole thing ;)_

_PrincessSparkel15- Thank you for R &R! I hope you like the update even though it took a while to post :D_

_Miss-Tyk- Yay! I was hoping not to lose readership with a long story, but it seems like people are ok with it. I can't wait, it's going to get crazy! ;)_

_AlyssaIanSomerhalder- Thank you so much! I really appreciate your review :) Damon's going to work really hard to overcome his happyphobia ;)_

_irishmauve- Thanks :D I have to add in humor and lightness, otherwise it's too angsty and depressing to write, haha. I'm glad you are enjoying it so far :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Vampire Diaries_, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

After being confined to her room for two days while she recovered from her bug Elena was more than happy to walk the six blocks to the shop and get some fresh air before her shift started. The winter air in Mystic Falls lacked the biting chill of that in Boston, and she found it to be refreshing. She hadn't seen Damon since the night he brought her soup, and while she _may_ have found herself halfway between Hurt-town and Annoyed-ville when she woke up to find gone that night, his ample text messages checking in on her made her feel butterflies in her stomach. She was almost giddy to see him again today, and she hoped he would be there when she arrived. Luck must have been on her side because he was working on decals for the storefront windows when she got there. He was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, and she noted that it was the first time she'd seen him in anything besides black or its close cousins. White brought out his eyes more and made him look much less intimidating, maybe that's why he never wore it.

"_Rare, Antique & Out-of-print Titles_," she read aloud the new heading he was arranging under the arched _Salvatore Books_ sign. "I see someone took my advice."

"Well it was either this or keep feeding the silverfish," Damon shrugged and dusted his hands off on his jeans. "And I'm not much of a bug person. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. It looks good," she nodded approvingly at the window. "Do you need any help?"

"Sure, grab a razor and help me get these old ones off," he gestured to a bucket of tools and began to scrape off the old _New & Used Books_ sign. Elena fussed with the tool in her hand, trying to find the best angle to hold it to get the window as clean as possible and Damon looked over and laughed at her focused consternation.

"Shut up," she giggled and shook her head. For some reason, they did their best flirting at work and she liked it. Just when she got the hang of the blade Damon slapped her backside with both hands causing her to jump out of skin. "What the heck was that for?" she exclaimed and glared at him.

"Can't a guy just give a coworker a friendly ass slap?" he shrugged and went about his work with his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. It took several minutes before she caught her reflection in the car window parked along the street and saw that he had firmly adhered the two O's he peeled off the window on each one of her jean pockets.

"Hilarious Damon," she said drily and tried to keep a straight face before she lurched forward and stuck the upside down U over his mouth to mime a frown. "Big sad face," she said with a mock pout. Before he could retaliate the phone inside the shop rang and Elena jumped up to answer it. Damon shook his head and smiled widely to himself as he watched Elena try to peel the stickers off her pants as she chatted with the customer on the phone.

"This is quaint," a saccharine voice commented from behind him. "Manual labor really suits you, Damon."

"Katherine," Damon hung his head and muttered a few curse words to himself before turning around. "I would say it's nice to see you, but it'd be a lie."

"With all the pleasantries out of the way now, I want your key to the family's timeshare in Aspen," she demanded and tapped the toe of her stiletto boot against the concrete.

"Umm…" Damon pretended to consider her request. "No. Why don't you just take Stefan's key?"

"Because we both need a key, I always thought you just _pretended_ to be stupid but you actually can't keep up can you?" Katherine asked sarcastically. Elena was trying to pay attention to the customer on the phone but she was distracted by Damon's sudden change in demeanor, whoever this woman was she wiped the smile off of Damon's face in two seconds flat. Elena bristled at the woman's insinuation that he was stupid and she had to bite back the urge to rip her pretty brown hair out strand by strand.

"Fuck off. You and Stef can figure out how to share a key, or here's an idea: go get a spare made," he growled.

"We don't have time _Damon_, we're leaving for the airport this evening," the woman hissed. Elena didn't like the way she said his name, and she didn't like the way she looked at him. Actually, she didn't like anything about her.

"And in the time you've stood here bitching at me you could have had one made already. Besides, isn't this supposed to be your big romantic sorry-I-cheated-on-you-again-Stef weekend? How much time are you really going to be spending apart? Or are you worried baby bro won't be enough and you'll have to shop around a bit?"

"Stefan more than fulfills me needs in _every_ way. Aside from being an excellent listener and attentive lover, two things _you_ wouldn't know anything about, he is superbly respectful of my desire for independence. This is our big romantic _anniversary_ trip but Stefan is confident enough in his ability to keep my happy that he can trust me with a key to the condo."

"I'm curious, do you make him pack his balls into his own carry-on or do you check them in your luggage?" he asked sarcastically.

"Why do you even need a key anymore, Damon?" Katherine crossed her arms, readying for the final kill. "More sad, lonely perma-bachelor weekends weeping into a case of Wild Turkey and watching pay-per-view alone? Or are you going to drag that drunkard Ric with you this time to relive those college years you failed so miserably at the first time around?"

Elena could see a tick in Damon's jaw and his eyes glazed over instantly with something that looked like it belonged somewhere between pain and rage. That was the final straw, whoever this woman was she obviously knew exactly which buttons to push to get a rise out of Damon and Elena wasn't about to stand by and let her ruin their day. _His day_, Elena reminded herself_, I'm not going to let her ruin his day or my day, separately. Ruining of separate days will not be happening and we most certainly aren't sharing a day._ Damon was just about to say something in response, but Elena put on her brightest smile and stepped out onto the sidewalk. She wrapped her arm around Damon's waist and sidled up closely to him under his arm. Whether it was instinct or part of the act Damon held her tightly to him and smiled subtly. She could feel the tension in his shoulders lessen under her touch but she couldn't know if it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.

"You're going to Aspen? Oh my gosh, there's the most romantic little Italian bistro there that you just _have_ to try. It's our favorite, and the pesto is to die for, _almost_ as good as when this one makes it at home," Elena giggled and gazed at Damon with a convincing look of adoration. "I love your purse! Is that Burberry?"

"It is," Katherine sneered and looked down at Elena.

"My best friend got the exact same style at a sample sale in New York a few years ago," Elena said sweetly, taking a subtle dig at Katherine's démodé handbag. "I'm really sorry to interrupt you two, but could I borrow you for two seconds honey?" She grabbed Damon's hand and wove their fingers together, something that Katherine certainly didn't miss if her scoffing was any indication.

"Sure, we were finished here." He didn't say another word to Katherine and allowed Elena to lead him back into the store. Elena glanced over her shoulder to see Katherine stomp her foot childishly and slink off in the opposite direction and she was more than satisfied with herself. Round 1: Elena.

"Thanks _honey_," he muttered as soon as the glass door of the shop closed behind them and he shook his hand free from hers. He wouldn't have admitted it to her, but he liked the feeling of warmth and normalcy of just holding her hand and having her in his arms.

"Jeez, you've stuck it in some crazies Damon," Elena sighed. Ric had obliquely mentioned Katherine a couple of times and something about how she broke Damon's heart and Jenna gave her a few details. Personally, she didn't see what the big deal about her was.

"You have no idea," he groaned and dropped into one of the leather chairs. He kicked his feet up on the table and dropped his head to the back of the chair. "Sorry, what did you need?" he asked, slightly more composed.

"Nothing," she shrugged and sat in the adjacent chair. "You just looked like you needed an extraction," she finally admitted with a sympathetic smile. That was only partly true, if she was being completely honest she just didn't like Katherine and the way she made Damon react.

"Nicely deduced," he nodded appreciatively. "You've marked yourself now though, I wouldn't go out alone anymore if I were you."

"I taught continuation school in Southie for two years, Damon," Elena laughed and stretched her feet out next to his on the coffee table, playfully nudging his boots with the toe of her sneaker, "Little Miss Gucci Boots with her obscenely overpriced handbag doesn't scare me."

"You were a school teacher? When?" Damon seemed to perk up at the mention of her old job. She never stopped surprising him with the small tidbits she revealed about herself. He could imagine her as a schoolteacher; she'd be good at it with her no-nonsense approach and miles of patience.

"I was. It was right after college and I wanted to make a difference," she shrugged.

"And?" he prodded, suspecting there was more to her story.

"And… I realized it takes more than a few hours of night school to make a difference in someone's life."

"They were that bad, huh?"

"The kids? No. They made me want to get my teaching credential. I loved them. They were tough and a little hard to handle at times, but they weren't bad kids. Their situation was bad, most of them were just lost in the system and didn't have enough people to care for them."

"So why did you quit?"

"Because apparently that's my _thing_. I'm a big fat quitter," she said with her brow furrowed, "I guess I just got frustrated with being so powerless, you know? Seeing the same problems every day and not being able to do anything about them. It drove my naïve inner idealist nearly mad. Matt didn't like the neighborhood I taught in either, he thought it was too dangerous."

"Something tells me that you're more than capable of handling yourself," Damon scoffed, he couldn't help but feel that he already knew Elena better than Matt. If he had been her boyfriend he would have bought her a pepper spray keychain and told her to go crazy changing the world one misunderstood delinquent at a time. Hell, Rose had disappeared into the African bush for a volunteer clinic for two months and he had been ok with that. Matt was an idiot if he couldn't see the fighting spirit in Elena's eyes.

"Damn straight," she grinned and melted into the chair.

The both sat there in silence for a few minutes before Damon snorted with an unexpected laugh. "_Little Miss Gucci Boots_, that's a good one. Maybe I can retire Bitch-Faced Gorgon for a while, at least in polite company."

"So she's your sister-in-law?" Elena asked, even though she already knew from Jenna that Katherine was married to Damon's younger brother.

"Sister-in-law, ex-sex buddy, evil incarnate, she has an impressive resume," Damon stopped himself when he saw Elena staring at him with her eyebrow quirked and a very judgmental look on her face. "Oh, don't look at me like that, we were fucking way before Stef married her and we stopped before they sealed the deal."

"So both you and your brother have horrible taste in women?" she asked but it wasn't really a question.

"Whoa, easy there Judgy. Don't forget who got you into bed after one drink. I wouldn't be so quick to criticize my taste in women if I were you."

"Everyone is prone to an occasional stroke of genius here and there," Elena shrugged and flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"You know all about my strokes of genius," he smirked lasciviously in her direction, to which she gave him a well-practiced eye roll.

"Do you want to get lunch at the Grill or something? I'm starving and I forgot my sandwich at home," Elena said and peeled herself out of the chair. "I'm sure Miss Moppet has devoured it by now."

"Sure, let's call it a business lunch and use the store's card," Damon grinned. "Ric _loves_ balancing out the books when I do that."

3 3 3

"So what's with the authorly angst?" Damon asked nonchalantly when their cheeseburgers and malts arrived. Without even asking she set her pickles on the edge of his plate and he pushed the ketchup to her; it was one of their little routines they'd fallen into without even noticing.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked with her mouth full.

"I didn't miss the daggers you stared into Bonnie when she asked about your book," he chided and she blushed, wishing she hadn't been so obvious, after all Bonnie was just trying to help. "As your publishing proprietor, I think I deserve to know at least a _little _about what I'm getting myself into."

"With alliteration like that maybe you should be the one writing," Elena chuckled and took a long drink of soda, trying to avoid talking about anything book related.

"I'm not going to drop it, so it'd be easier if you just told me," he remarked casually, ignoring her cold stare. He met her eyes with his best expression of indifference and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going to judge you because your book sucks."

"My book doesn't _suck_ for your information," Elena snapped and tore a vicious, tiger-like bite out of her cheeseburger. "American readership is at an historic low. My book just doesn't have the mass appeal and escapism of mommy bondage porn or washed-up celebrity memoir."

"You're not into the sordid secrets of the rich and once-famous?" He didn't even want to know her take on bondage since he couldn't be held accountable for his actions once he knew and they were in a public, family atmosphere.

"Not really, but that's what's in right now," Elena sighed and leaned back in the booth. She didn't mean to take her frustrations out on Damon as she had inadvertently done so many times with Matt, but she couldn't help it. Damon was rubbing salt into a very raw wound, whether he knew it or not. She had wanted to change the world with her book, and make people _think_ and _feel_ with her words. In truth, being an author is all she _ever_ wanted and while she didn't expect it to be easy, she certainly wasn't anticipating it being so damn difficult. "People want something fun to distract them from how crappy our reality has become and I just can't offer that. Hence, no publishing offers."

"What's your book about?" he could see her flinch when he asked. It was a question she was well-acquainted with, and she was equally as well-acquainted with the disapproving eye rolls and thinly-veiled scoffs that she always got when she told people about her book's premise. "Really? Come on Elena, I'm really not going to judge you."

"It's about a girl driven to spiritual bankruptcy by the malaise and ennui of modern society," she answered and dipped another fry in her malt before popping it in her mouth. "And her search for something real and good in the world."

"Does she find it?"

"No," she answered simply.

"Well, I can see why no one wants to take your book to press," he commented matter-of-factly. "That's gloomy as hell. If I want to wallow in misery I'll turn on the news, it's less effort than slogging through a come-to-Jesus novel by some Harvard preppy turned holier than thou Zen Buddhist."

"I went to Brown and I'm not a Zen Buddhist," Elena defended herself. "And it's not about being more enlightened than anyone else or anything like that. It's about calling problems as I see them and being honest and incisive."

"Then be a journalist. When people pick up a book they want a sense of hope and rejuvenation by the end. You have to leave your readers with something to feel good about. Life is enough of an ass kicking without your help."

"So what are you saying? I should just rewrite my entire book?"

"No," Damon shook his head, "you're the author, not me."

"Sage advice," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that you seem pretty peppy for a woman whose _pièce de résistance _is all about life sucking. So somewhere between nail polish parties and your weirdly dog-like cat you've found something to distract you from the day-to-day clusterfuck of 'modern society,'" he emphasized with air quotes. "Why are you so fixated on the negatives?"

"I never took you for the unicorns and rainbows type," she smiled.

"Me? Oh no, personally I think the world blows."

"So you agree, there's nothing real and good left?" she asked pointedly and stared across the table at him. He met her gaze sharply and narrowed his eyes in consideration. Did he really believe there was nothing good left? A month ago he would have said yes, but even he couldn't deny that his outlook had started to change when a certain petite brunette swept into his town.

"Jury's still out," he said.

"I'll take your input under consideration," she nodded and finished the last of her lunch. "I'll get back to you with the results."

"You're not going to get anything done as long as your notebook sits at the bottom of a box," he said casually. "Unless you're dictating into a recorder or something."

"How did you…?" she stuttered.

"Men snoop, too, you know," he smirked. "I think it would suck if you gave up because a few uptight Bean Town book houses said no. J.K. Rowling was rejected twelve times, Dr. Seuss twenty-seven times, and Steven King thirty times, so you've got a ways to go before you get to throw in the towel and throw yourself some epic nobody-likes-me pity party." She didn't know how he did it but he managed to tear her down and pick her back up in the same sentence.

"Do you have any idea how it feels to be denied the one thing you want more than anything Damon?" she asked sharply and she could feel her cheeks flush with subdued anger. He was so nonchalant about cutting through her insecurities that it infuriated her.

"Yes, _Elena_, I do," he answered with disarming honesty, "life sucks— get a helmet, and move on. If they didn't like your book the fuck them; but you'd be remiss if you didn't ask yourself _why_ they didn't like it."

"Fine," she huffed, knowing that he was right but loathe to admit it. "Will you at least tell me something about you since you just went all Oprah on me?"

"What do you want to know?" he asked and slid her plate over to finish her fries.

"What did you want to be when you were a kid?"

"A doctor."

"Why didn't you?" she followed, trying to take advantage of Damon sharing time.

"And miss the opportunity of a lifetime to run a small town bookstore?"

"I'm serious," she said crossly.

"_That_ is a story for another day," he said and stood up from their booth. "Like maybe the day that you unpack that notebook of yours." He waited for her to gather her purse and slide out of the booth. She smiled to herself when she felt his hand on the small of her back as he followed her out of the restaurant.

"Why are you single?" she asked boldly as they walked back to the store and she watched him keep his eyes fixed to the concrete sidewalk in front of them.

"Why are you?" he shrugged.

"Because my boyfriend dumped me for being a workaholic ice queen," Elena laughed self-consciously and pulled the collar of her coat closer around her neck to block the cold breeze. "But you didn't answer my question."

"_Malaise… ennui_… maybe a little _spiritual bankruptcy_," he said, imitating her lofty tone from earlier.

"Very funny," she said drily and walked through the door he held open for her. "I guess Katherine was wrong about your subpar listening skills."

"I pay attention when it matters," he smiled and watched her strip her coat off, "she just never said anything important." Elena blushed at his comment and tucked her hair behind her ears with a shy smile. One minute she wanted to strangle him for being rude and insensitive and the next minute she was blushing like a schoolgirl at the simple notion that he had listened to her and really _heard_ her.

"And to answer your question from earlier," he added and stood in front of her to brush a few straw hairs she had missed behind her ears. "I _do_ think there are some things left that are real and good. It just takes some work to find them and even more work to keep them."

* * *

**A/N: So lots more dialogue in that one, but I hope you all liked it... and Damon stayed until the end! Do you think it's too soon for Elena to meet Mama Salvatore? I have a few chapters written, I'm just unsure what would be the best order for them so feel free to share your input ;)**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	8. Chapter 8: Fond Farewell

_Back again with a fresh chapter! This one is a little longer than the others, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. I am working really hard to update _AYATM_ this weekend, too. Enjoy!_

_Dark-Supernatural-Angel: Thanks! We are definitely going to see Elena's book change into something much different :)_

irishmauve- Thank you! I like your idea of a casual meeting, I hope the chapter lives up to it :)

_scarlett2112- Thank you! Learning a little more about Damon in this chapter. I'm really excited to tell Elena's story partly through her book and how her underlying themes change as she learns more about herself and comes into her own as a woman and author :)_

_Cherriesandapples: Thank you for R & R :D I hope you like the update!_

_AlyssaIanSomerhalder- Thanks! I'm glad you liked Elena's Damon rescue. There will be DE action soon... I'm thinking in the next chapter ;)_

_bellax0xchristina- Thank you! I was really hoping to make it a genuine friendship before just rushing them off to being lovers :)_

_SWEETDREAMS25- Thank you so much, that makes me so fuzzy inside :D_

_FineFreshFierce585- Thank you, thank you! You made my day :D_

_VampireGleek77- Thanks! I'm glad you liked the chapter. I like seeing Elena stand up for herself a little more often, and Katherine was the perfect person to start with, I thought :)_

_Plexilexi117- Thank you so much, you're awesome! I hope you like the update, I tried to develop their relationship a little more so I hope that comes across :)_

_KellyJo93- Thank you :) I hope you like the new chapter!_

_CharlSmith- Thanks! I like the idea of a feisty no-nonsense Elena, sometimes she's a little too passive and damsel-in-distress-y for my taste ;)_

_Miss-Tyk- Thank you! I should have a new update for AYATM this weekend, I am debating on a few things to keep/take out :)_

_YAZMIN V- Thank you so much :D I'm glad you are enjoying it so far, I hope you like the update!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Vampire Diaries_, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

Elena went home that afternoon with Damon's words bouncing around in her head. Part of her felt like it was his round-about way of asking her to be patient with him, but she didn't know how to keep him if he wouldn't let her have him, _any_ of him. Sadly, the four seconds that it took for Damon to answer her question was the most honest conversation they'd had. There had to be some way she could get through the stone walls he had built around himself. If she learned anything from freshman poetry class and John Donne it was that _no man is an island_, but Damon was sure trying his hardest to prove that theorem wrong. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, alerting her to a new voicemail. Elena rolled her eyes at the missed call and hit the "call back" button, bracing for the worst.

"Hi Mom, I just got your message," Elena said drily, not really looking forward to a conversation with her mother. She knew her mother loved her and wanted her to be happy, but she and Miranda had never seen eye to eye on exactly what "happy" was. Elena saw happiness in freedom and her writing, while Miranda saw happiness as being financially secure and having a family. There were only three subjects Miranda would want to talk about: Matt, grandkids, or going back to Boston. Elena wasn't particularly in the mood (ever) to discuss any of those and hoped she could keep the conversation as short as possible.

"_Elena, I'm so glad you called back,"_ Miranda said cheerfully._ "When are you coming home?_"

"I just got home," Elena prickled: one down, two to go.

"_Elena_," her mother sighed on the other end of the line. "_You've proven to everyone that you can be an independent woman and fend for yourself. Now don't you think you've wasted enough time with this silly spiritual awakening mission down there in Magic Falls? Your place is here with your family, and we all miss you."_

"_Mystic_ Falls, Mom, and I'm not trying to _prove_ anything. I like it here and I'm happy," Elena growled and pulled a bowl out of the cupboard for her dinner.

"_Matt is worried about you sweetheart, he asks about you every time I see him at the clubhouse," _Miranda informed her. Matt and Elena's moms grew up two houses down from each other and were best friends. Getting married, moving to the suburbs, and having a houseful of children had not only been Matt's plan, but also their mothers'. "_He doesn't trust that man you've taken up with."_

"You've got to be kidding me," Elena mumbled to herself as she got the box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch off of the refrigerator. "I'm not taking up with anyone. How the hell did Matt even find out about Damon? He hasn't so much as bothered to call since _he_ broke up with _me_!"

"_Caroline mentioned that you and him are getting close and I just don't want you doing something that is going to jeopardize your future with Matt. He's ready to forgive you if you just come home."_

"Forgive me, really?!" Elena scoffed. "Matt is ready to forgive _me_ for what? Breaking up with myself? I'm over it Mom. Matt and I have been over for a long time and it's not going to happen again."

"_You know he would take care of you Elena_," her mother reminded.

"I don't need to be _taken care of_, I can handle myself. I'm doing just fine on my own, and I'm happy, Mom, really happy."

_"And what about this Darren fellow?"_

"Damon!" she corrected. "And what about him? He's my friend and me being happy has nothing to do with him. I'm happy because for the first time I feel like an independent adult. I have my own place, I like my job, I like the people here, and I got it all without using yours and Dad's connections. I'm not asking you to like it Mom, I'm just asking you to see this from my perspective and give me a little space." Miss Moppet heard Elena raising her voice and jumped on the counter to investigate was the commotion was about. Elena shooed her away from her bowl and set her back on the floor gently so she could finish preparing her dinner cereal.

"_I just hate to see you throw away everything you've worked for sweetheart. Matt can offer you a stable, comfortable future and that may not seem important to you know, but when you have children—"_

"No, no, no," Elena shouted and slammed the refrigerator shut. "I'm not talking about this again Mom. I'm happy, I'm staying, you can either get over it or not. I don't care anymore. You tried this exact same thing with Jer when he wanted to leave school and you drove him to a freaking war zone, LITERALLY! You just need to give us some room to breathe! You're suffocating me from a zillion miles away and you can't see the problem with that!"

_"Calm down Elena honey, you're going to give yourself another panic attack_."

"I haven't had a panic attack since I left Boston, Mom." Elena never really believed they were panic attacks so much as bottled up anger that she was never allowed to express; but panic attacks were easy to label and easy to medicate, ensuring that the Gilbert's busy professional and social schedule wouldn't be disrupted but any untimely outbursts from their unruly daughter.

"_All the same, you know it's not good for you to get worked up_."

"Stop telling me what to do!"

"_Ok, Elena, you can have it your way," _Miranda said gently._ "This conversation isn't over but you're obviously upset at the moment so we can finish later. Go make yourself some tea and relax. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, ok?"_

"Ok, Mom," Elena said and bit the inside of her cheek to contain another outburst.

"_Good, well I'm glad we got to talk sweetheart. I love you."_

"I love you, too, Mom." She hung up and tossed her phone carelessly on the counter, looking over at Miss Moppet who was standing on one of the barstools around the kitchen island and watching her. "You are _so_ lucky you're a cat Mops."

After finishing her cereal she ambled up the stairs for a hot bubble bath that she felt more than entitled too after the fiasco with her mother. Caroline and Bonnie had brought her some of her favorite bubble bath and some aromatherapy candles as a "hotel warming" present and she was waiting for the perfect time to treat herself to Elena Hour. She sat on the side of the tub and adjusted the temperature from the water faucet until little tendrils of steam rose from the filling tub. She was rummaging through the linen cabinet for her favorite fluffy towel when the light in the bathroom flickered twice and went dead. Ordinarily she would have just called for Matt to fix it but New Elena looked up at the light and grinned widely at the opportunity for a little timely personal growth.

"You picked the wrong girl to go out on," she said to the bulb with her hands determinedly set on her hips. "It's just you and me now. I'm going to make you my bitch light bulb, you're going to wish you didn't flicker out on my bubble bath."

She bounced out of the room and returned with a dining chair from downstairs, a dishtowel, and a new bulb that she hoped would fit. She reached for the burned out bulb with her dishtowel covered hand but leaned just a touch too far and the chair she was standing on rocketed out from under her on the slick tile floor. The only thing to break her fall was the full-length mirror she had leaning against the wall, which shattered into large shards and dropped onto her. She cried out in pain when she tried to catch herself and cut her left hand on a sharp edge. The warm, sticky sensation spreading across her back told her that she had most likely torn open her shoulder as well. Her hip and chin throbbed and she was sure she'd have some impressive bruises in the morning courtesy of the ceramic tile.

With another groan of pain she picked herself up off of the floor and leapt back at the sight of the crimson smear contrasting with the white tiles. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed her suspicion about her shoulder. She took the dishtowel she was using for the light and wrapped it tightly around her hand to stem the bleeding from her palm. Carefully leaning over the sink she inspected the small cut across her cheek.

"Awesome, really, this is just fan-freaking-tastic," she muttered and fished through the drawers for some antibiotic ointment. "This is exactly what I needed, _exactly_ what I needed Universe. Are you trying to punish me or something?" Her doorbell echoed through the hallway and Miss Moppet glided down the stairs ahead of her to see who their evening visitor could be.

"Damon!" Elena said with shock when she saw him leaning with one hand against the doorframe and dangling the keys she forgot on the counter at the store from his finger.

"Not gonna get far—" he smirked until he saw the blood on her face and the gathering purple blemish on her chin. He was before her in an instant, tilting her head to look at her cheek. "Holy shit Elena, what happened? Did someone do this to you? Who did this?"

"I fell in the bathroom," she mumbled, more than a little embarrassed.

"You got this from a fall?" he asked with skeptically raised eyebrows.

"No, I got that from the mirror at the end of the fall," she tried to smirk but the gesture fell flat under Damon's critical stare.

"Did you go to the hospital?" he asked and brushed his fingers near the cut on her cheek.

"Ouch, don't touch," she hissed and pulled back and his eyes instantly filled with concern. "Sorry, it just stings a little still."

"Where else are you hurt?"

"I think I have a scratch on my back," she mumbled and tugged at the makeshift bandage on her hand, folding as much of the red edge underneath the remaining clean parts as she could.

"Turn around, let me see," he didn't even have to touch her to know that the "scratch" on her back was much worse than that. The fabric of her tank top was torn, revealing a deep gash that was wicking blood through the light blue fabric. He couldn't be sure because of the mess, but he was almost certain he caught a glimpse of scapula glistening through the gore on her shoulder. "Jesus Christ, you need stitches, Elena, probably a lot of them."

"I don't have insurance," she mumbled. "I can't go to the hospital."

"Ok," he said and put his hands on his hips to take one last look at the extent of her wounds. "I guess we're going to my house then."

"Why your house?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Good," he smiled brightly. "Let's go."

3 3 3

"So exactly what did your mirror do to incur your wrath?" Damon asked as he pulled out of her driveway.

"I was trying to change the light bulb and I slipped," she grumbled and tried not to lean back against the seat in case the blood soaked through the towel she had wrapped around her shoulder.

"Why didn't you just call Tyler to change the light? Isn't that the whole point of renting? So you don't have to do shit like that yourself." Damon asked innocently, not knowing that he was broaching a very sore subject.

"Because, Damon, it's just a freaking light bulb! I'm twenty-seven and should be able to change a light bulb! But noooo, poor Elena— the little invalid child who can't take care of herself screws up that simple task."

"Whoa there, Killer. I was just asking. Did you get bit by a light bulb when you were a kid or something?"

"No," she snapped and crossed her arms, which made her yelp in pain as it tugged the split skin on her shoulder in opposite directions. "I'm sorry Damon, it's just been a really crappy evening and I just wanted a bubble bath. I talked to my mom and she did the same thing she always does."

"And what's that?"

"Remind me of how incapable I am and that I'll never be good enough to fit her filial daughter mold. She just pushes and pushes and no matter what I'm not enough." Elena sniffled. "And now I'm crying. Great, you probably think I'm a crazy person."

"I already _know_ you're a crazy person Elena," Damon laughed and looked over to see her glaring at him. "Oh come on, I don't miss the fact that all of the bills are facing the same direction when I close out the register at night."

"It prevents counting errors," she growled as they turned onto a poorly lit gravel road. A dark sprawling home appeared as they crested a small hill. "This is your house?" she gawked.

"Yep," he answered like it was just another house. "BTW, my mom lives here too and she's Italian so she'll probably try to kiss you and cram thirty pounds of tortellini down your throat. You can probably outrun her though if you need to."

Damon helped Elena out of the car and tried to sneak into the house as quietly as possible since he knew his mother was still awake and he preferred to keep the meet and greet until later when Elena wasn't bleeding out in the hallway. Elena did her best to keep up with Damon as he stalked down a long hallway, but her eyes kept falling to oil portraits on the walls and antique vases on shelves that lined the dark corridor. If she thought Lockwood Manor had some history behind it, Damon's house must have volumes of stories to tell.

"I take back what I said earlier, you couldn't outrun my mom," Damon said with a playful lilt.

"Sorry," she said and loped to where a little patch of light was shining through an open door. The door opened into an expansive cavern of a room with an enormous bed in the center, a few dressers, a leather chair flanked by a stack of books, and not much else. Damon was looking through a large red box and pulling out a few items that turned the sleek minimalist ensuite bathroom into an impromptu emergency room.

"Sit on the counter," he instructed without looking up from the box. "I've already had a talk with the mirror, if it makes a move I'll take it down. I'd keep an eye on the light bulbs though, they're kind of shifty little bastards." She giggled and hopped onto the counter.

"That's a heck of a first aid kit," she commented as she surveyed the multiple syringes, medicine bottles, and suture packets on the counter.

"I like to be prepared for anything, household task massacres included," Damon answered. "Take your shirt off."

"What?!" Elena squeaked.

"Unless you want me to permanently attach it to you, take it off," he repeated but she just blushed and gripped the edge of the counter more tightly. "I've already seen you naked Elena," he said a little more softly, but when she didn't budge he just shook his head and pulled a towel off of the rack for her modesty.

"Thanks, can you turn around?" she asked meekly and he would have given her a snarky reply had she not looked so petrified. He did as she asked and didn't even peek at her reflection as a testament to his personal restraint. "Ok you can turn around now." She had the towel clutched to her front but her back was completely exposed. The blood from her wound has started to dry and shed off in little burgundy flakes.

"Relax your back," he said softly and put his hands on the bare skin of her shoulders making her inhale sharply. Her skin felt just as warm and supple under his hands as it did on the night they met and if the shiver that rattled her spine was any indication, she was thinking about the same thing he was. He awkwardly cleared his throat and fumbled for one of the bottles on the counter.

"This is going to burn for a few seconds but it'll help with the pain. Ready?" he asked and she nodded. She whimpered and dug her fingers into the towel she was holding when he flushed the lidocaine into her wound. "It looks like you made it down to the bone. I'm just going to flush it out with some antiseptic, ok? The lidocaine should be kicking in so it shouldn't hurt but tell me if it does and we can wait a few minutes."

"Ok," she eeked out, a little panicked that her shoulder blade was making an appearance. The burning sensation that seared across her back subsided and all she could feel was mild pressure on her shoulder and the warmth from Damon's hands.

"Don't worry, I aced first aid and you already know how good I am with my hands," Damon said in an attempt to fill the tense silence. He knew she was scared but the fact that she sat on his counter and stared at the implements of torture he laid out while willingly letting him jab at her tattered shoulder spoke volumes about her trust in him. He did his best to be present in the moment and tend to the girl who needed him; but under other circumstances notions like _need_ and_ trust_ would have been enough to send him running in the opposite direction. Elena drew in a ragged breath that brought him back to his task. "And tissue handling was my best class, hands down."

"Best class where?" she asked as she watched him in the mirror.

"Med school."

"You're a doctor?"

"That was the plan, but I dropped out after two years," he shrugged and pulled a needle and suture out of the plastic spool. "Tell me if you feel this, ok? It should be numb by now." He carefully curved the needle through her skin with a scissor-looking tool at the apex of her wound. "Anything?"

"No, just tugging," she said and released the breath she had been holding in anticipation of the needle.

"Good," he smiled and closed the edges of the cut together as closely as he could, carefully burying each bite of the needle to reduce scarring later. He could feel her flinch every time he dug the needle in her skin and he had the suspicion she could feel what he was doing and was just trying tough it out and get the whole ordeal over with. "I wanted to work for Doctors Without Borders. Go to Africa, India, and places like that. Or specialize in trauma. I always thought it would be interesting to work in an emergency room."

"Why didn't you?" she knew she was pushing her luck with that question but she couldn't resist.

"Eh, you know? Life got in the way," he shrugged and changed the subject. "This is absorbable so you won't have to worry about taking them out later. Hopefully with the subcuticular closure there won't be much of a scar, but guys like scars so win-win."

"They do?" Elena chuckled.

"Women like them, don't you?"

"Yeah, but because it's rugged and manly. I didn't think guys would like their women sliced and diced."

"Everyone has scars, Elena, it's all about how you wear them," he answered with such simplicity and honesty that Elena felt goose bumps on her arms. She watched him work in silence until he was finished, enjoying the way his eyes burned with focus and intent. Of all of his looks, this purposeful attention was one of her favorites on him. She didn't even allow herself to think about how good his hands felt against her skin until his fingers wandered slowly down the curve of her spine to the small of her back.

"All done," he said hoarsely and curled his fingers into a fist away from her skin. "Let's take a look at your face." She twisted so her legs were dangling over the side of the sink. Her eyes fluttered closed and her heart sped up when he cupped her cheeks and gently caressed the perimeter of the small wound with his thumb. In spite of herself she leaned into his touch and parted her knees slightly for him to stand between them, which he did almost immediately. "Does it hurt?" he asked scarcely louder than a whisper.

"No," she answered and opened her eyes to meet his gaze, which she found to be settled on her parted lips.

"Damon! Is that you up there?" a woman's voice called from somewhere outside of the little bubble they'd inadvertently found themselves in. Damon pulled away instantly and cleared his throat.

"Yeah Ma, I'll be done in a second," he answered loudly before turning back to Elena and dragging a nervous hand through his hair. "I think you'll be fine with a few butterfly bandages on that one," he said and briskly applied a few adhesive closures to her cheek before sweeping all of the trash into a wastebasket by the sink. She jumped down off of the counter and picked her bloody tank top off of the ground, turning it back right side out and frowning at its ruin. "Let me get you a new shirt," and he disappeared into a large closet at the other end of his bedroom and returned with a soft dark grey t-shirt.

They made their way back down the stairs where Damon's mother was waiting in the sitting room. When she saw Elena her serene face lit up. She was much older than Elena's own mother and beautiful in a regal sort of way.

"Damon August Salvatore!" she exclaimed with a faint accent to her voice. "Did you bring a guest into our home without introducing me. Where are your manners, son?"

"Sorry _Mamma_ we were in a hurry. This is Elena," he gestured to her. "Elena, this is my mom, Eloisa."

"Oh _Elena_! I've heard so much about you. You are every bit as lovely as Carol said," Eloisa gushed. While she and her son shared the same blue eyes hers were much warmer as though age had melted away the icy tendrils that still froze Damon's gaze. "My goodness, what happened to your face dear? Are you ok?"

"Oh yeah, I just had a uh... run-in with my bathroom mirror so Damon was patching me up," Elena explained and ran her fingers over the bandages on her face.

"That's my _medico_," Eloisa beamed proudly and patted Damon's shoulder with a gnarled hand. "Can I offer you some tea Elena?"

"Oh, I…" she looked over to Damon for confirmation and he gave her a small nod. "Sure, I'd love to," she smiled and sat down on the sofa opposite of Eloisa. The older woman struggled with the teapot in her crippled hands and Damon gently took it from her and prepared her cup of tea. She said something to him in Italian that Elena couldn't understand, but she guessed it was something of gratitude judging by her soft tone. Damon poured another cup for Elena and a glass of bourbon for himself.

"Damon, you shouldn't be drinking that this late at night. Won't you take a cup of tea instead?"

"That's why it's called a _night_ cap Ma," Damon smirked and leaned back into the sofa before putting his feet on the coffee table, earning him a cross look from Eloisa.

"My son is a savage," she said, shaking her head. "So how do you find Mystic Falls, Elena? Have you gotten comfortable in your home yet?"

"I like it a lot, and I love the house. I am so glad Carol had something available. My cat has never seen grass before, so she's pretty happy with it, too. Lots of new things to do."

"Have you been out the Falls yet?"

"Not yet," Elena said and found herself falling into a comfortable conversation with Eloisa. For his part, Damon just silently enjoyed his bourbon and the crackle of the fireplace. He was glad that his mother seemed to take a liking to Elena, not that he was worried about it because anyone with a pulse liked Elena instantly. It occurred to him that Elena was the first woman he brought home since Rose, which he justified as having to help her with her post-mirror clean up but his sub-conscious railed against that as a sole explanation. Maybe there was something more to it and maybe it wasn't a coincidence that watching Elena and his mother laugh over some video Elena was playing on her iPhone gave him a sense of peace and belonging he hadn't known for years. Every once in a while he caught Elena peeking over at him covertly; he didn't think he had ever seen anything as beautiful as her smiling and blushing in his t-shirt with her feet tucked under her on the sofa next to him. _I am so fucked_, he thought to himself and emptied his tumbler.

"_Mio dio_, it's nearly midnight," Eloisa gasped when the grandfather clock against the wall chimed. They'd spent nearly two hours immersed in conversation without even acknowledging the time. "You are probably exhausted dear. Would you like Damon to take you home? You can take one of the guest bedrooms for the night."

"Oh, I should probably get home," Elena said reluctantly.

"Well only if you promise to come back," Eloisa said and pointed a crooked finger at her. "It's been years since Damon has had company."

"Alright, that's good Ma," Damon intervened. "I'm going to take Elena home now."

Eloisa pulled Elena into the most maternal hug she had ever had. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Elena."

"The pleasure is all mine Mrs. Salvatore," Elena grinned. In two hours she connected with this woman in a way she had never connected with her own mother and she was almost grateful that she fell on her mirror.

"Oh please, call me Eloisa. It makes me feel younger," she laughed and shuffled to the front door with Damon and Elena.

"I'll be right back," Damon said and pulled his jacket on.

"Drive safely _mio angelo_," Eloisa waved at Elena. "Good night!"

"Thank you for tonight, Damon," Elena said sincerely as he started the car and put it in gear.

"I think I might make Elena Rescue into a new hobby," he smirked. "Start a club, get t-shirts. I think it could really go somewhere."

"I mean it," Elena insisted, knowing she was already losing him into his shell of sarcasm.

"Yeah," he said and shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat. "You're welcome… just don't get your shoulder wet for a few days. It should heal fine though."

"Ok," she said and watched the dark trees whirring by on the highway before taking another chance at starting a conversation. "I like your mom, she's nice." He didn't reply but just nodded in acknowledgement. The rest of the ride was mostly silent, except for Damon's quiet chuckle when he caught her staring at him.

When they arrived at her house he unexpectedly followed her to her door and waited for her to unlock it.

"You don't have to tuck me in, Damon. I'll be fine," she said as she walked through the door.

"Unless Miss Moppet has evolved opposable thumbs in the last few hours your bathroom light probably still needs to be changed," he said sarcastically and helped her slip his leather jacket off of her sore shoulder.

"I appreciate it, Damon, but I really can do it myself," Elena said.

"I'll just be an available assistant then," he shrugged, making it clear that he wasn't leaving until he knew it was taken care of. She just rolled her eyes are started up the stairs to the bathroom. She flipped on the hall light and carefully stepped over the shards of mirror that still littered the floor. The chair scraped across the tiles as she positioned it back into place under the light fixture.

"There's your problem," Damon pointed out, gesturing to the chair she was about to stand on. "The tiles are too slick." He slid Elena's bright purple bathmat under the legs of the chair to give it some purchase on the slippery floor. "That's exactly how I broke my wrist trying to get chips off the refrigerator when I was a kid."

"I hope they were good chips," she smiled at him and hopped on to the chair. She reached out gingerly for the bulb, careful to avoid her mistake last time, and she felt Damon's strong hands on her waist to steady her. After a few clicks and twists the new light was in place and she jumped off of the chair. "Victory," she grinned and held the old bulb between her and Damon.

"Nice job Athena," Damon smiled at her enthusiasm before he was caught off guard by her jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly around his neck.

"Thank you, Damon," Elena whispered before she withdrew her arms to walk him back to the door. She watched him walk away with an appreciative gaze that she was almost certain he had caught her in when he suddenly wheeled back around.

"Do you want to go to breakfast in the morning?" he asked urgently.

"Sure," she answered trying to hide the wide smile that was threatening to take over her lips.

"How about nine? I'll pick you up?"

"Sounds like a plan," she said and let the smile have some room to grow. "Goodnight, Damon."

"Goodnight, Elena."

Elena nearly danced back up stairs to her bedroom before she realized she still had the light bulb clutched in her hand. She smiled and put it on her dresser next to a jar of seashells she picked up at the beach when she was a kid and a picture of her, Bonnie, and Caroline.

Instead of changing, she slipped between her sheets in Damon's t-shirt and reached over to pull her battered black notebook off of her nightstand. She ran her fingers over the cover in consideration, took a deep breath, and flipped it open to read the title of what she hoped would be her first novel someday: _Farewell to Spring: A Story of Ending_. She clicked her pen scribbling wildly onto the paper and put the notebook back on the nightstand and snuggling into her blankets. Before she pulled the cord of her lamp she took one last look at her edits and smiled.

_Welcoming __Spring: A Story__._

* * *

**A/N: Another chapter down! I hope you all liked it. I'm really excited to bring Elena's writing into the story line more to get a different perspective on how her character is growing and becoming more independent. Let me know what you think ;)**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	9. Chapter 9: Rain

_Hi again readers! Super excited for this chapter... it's a biggie (in terms of plot). It was a little difficult to write since I wanted to do the situation justice. Also, I think I mentioned this with my other story as well... I got a few comments about the long author notes so I've decided to respond to your awesome and wonderful comments privately, so you'll be hearing from me soon :) I hope everyone enjoys the update!_

* * *

"What's this? My Damon up before noon _and_ sober on a weekend?" Eloisa chuckled as she entered the kitchen, dressed and ready for her day. "And in front of the oven, no less. Have I wandered into an alternate dimension?"

"Good morning to you, too," Damon smirked, partly focused on his cooking and partly focused on reading the article he had spread out on the counter next to the stove.

"_Buon giorno_," she smiled and kissed his cheek before taking a closer look at his reading materials, "_New England Journal of Medicine_, I didn't know you were still getting that."

"Would you rather I subscribe to _Hustler_?" Damon asked with a playful lilt and flipped the page.

"You are your father's son," she muttered under her breath as she scooped some sugar into her tea.

"There's some new stuff in here about drug trials," Damon suggested, hoping his mother might be more open to discussing some new treatment this time. She had struggled with arthritis for several years, but after Giuseppe died her health seemed to take a dramatic downturn. Damon could clearly see that his mother was in pain every day but, true to her nature, she was too proud to admit defeat and continued to fight her battle silently and gracefully. "Some new immunomodulation therapy, they're getting better at putting rheumatism into remission, Ma."

"But at what cost _mio angelo_, more steroids to make my old bones more brittle?" she asked as Damon put the finishing touches on her croissant and slid a heaping plate in front of her. Eloisa loved cooking before her hands became too painful to chop and dice and mince, it was no small blessing that her sons inherited her love (and skill) for the culinary arts.

"I'm just throwing it out there," Damon said and sat down across the table from her with a cup of coffee. "_If_ you happened to have a passing interest in a trial, I'm sure we could find something in the area."

"I think we should talk about getting a nurse or a housekeeper before we talk about anything that serious," she suggested and sampled the warm croissant on her plate.

"We don't need a housekeeper," Damon dismissed with a practiced headshake. He promised his father that he would look after Eloisa and Stefan as best he could, and he hated the idea of bringing a stranger into their home to do things that he was perfectly capable of doing himself. There were times when it was hard, but Damon had learned that after everything family is all you have in the world.

"You can't keep doing everything by yourself, Damon."

"I don't," he defended himself. "Stefan and Katherine take care of things on the weekends."

"So you can make your weekly whoring rounds," Eloisa said matter-of-factly but with no indication of judgment or condemnation. "I want better for you than that, son."

"_Mamma_, it's fine. This is why people have kids, so they have someone to take of these things when they get old."

"My poor Damon, you are so simple for such a bright young man," Eloisa shook her head. "People have children so they can share in the joy of watching them create new lives for themselves and maybe someday be able to spoil a set of grand babies. You know how much I appreciate everything you do, but if we hired a housekeeper think of how much more time you would get to yourself. You can go on overnight trips and vacations like your brother."

"Joy," Damon said sarcastically, "because when I think of transcendent happiness, Stef is the first person who pops into my head. Besides how do you know you're going to be able to trust someone new? What if they screw something up?"

"And what if they didn't?" Eloisa countered wisely. "What if you didn't feel compelled to stay at home to open jars and peel bananas for your old, decrepit mother so you got to go out and be a young man again?"

"I'm really not missing out on the wild night life of Mystic Falls, Ma."

"Either way, please think about it? The hospital has a list of very capable and professional people who could do the job," Eloisa ended. "You're not eating?"

"I'm meeting Elena for breakfast in a bit."

"I like Elena. She's a very clever girl and fun, too."

"She is," he said and feigned reading to avoid talking about Elena because the truth was that her name was starting to gather more and more adjectives. She was clever and fun, sure, but she was also beautiful, strong, sexy, sweet, and… he had to stop himself there. He couldn't afford to think about her like that—to see her as a woman. She was a co-worker and a friend.

"And if I know anything at all, she has an eye for you," she added and kept a close eye on her son to gauge his reaction. Her older son had always been stoic, but even the most reserved men have their tells. The slight tightening of his fingers around his coffee cup was enough to let her know that she wasn't wrong about her suspicions.

"Most women do, Ma," Damon smirked arrogantly, trying to recover himself.

"Though I can't imagine how she manages to see past your ego."

"I'm hurt," he pouted and put his hand over his heart. "All those years you told me I was perfect."

"You are perfect _mio angelo_, you just don't remind everyone so often," Eloisa chuckled. "So where are you going to breakfast?"

"I don't know."

"What are you wearing?"

"I don't know."

"You are picking a lovely young lady up for a breakfast date and you don't know where you're going or what you're wearing?!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "You aren't living up to your full potential as a Salvatore man, Damon."

"It's just breakfast, _mamma_," he shrugged, but wondered if maybe he shouldn't have invested a little more planning into the thing… even if only to uphold his reputation. "It's not like I'm asking her to move in or anything."

"Do you know what I did forty-three years ago?"

"What?"

"I _just_ went to lunch with a charming young man. Then _just_ lunch turned into a dinner invitation, which became an introduction to his family, that in turn became a lovely weekend in a romantic chateau in the Alps."

"And?" he shrugged, not seeing the point of his mother's story.

"_And_ that charming young man gave me a ring, forty-three years of his life, and two wonderful sons."

"Dad took you out to _lunch_ for your first date?" Damon asked in disbelief and dropped his journal to the table. Eloisa nodded her head with a knowing smile. "That is _so_ lame. He always told me and Stef _not_ to take girls out to lunch."

"No _mio figlio_, your father told you to not take just _any_ girl out to lunch. Lunch is only for a woman special enough to earn a spot in the middle of your day because you can't wait until dinner to see her again. Now go get dressed," she instructed and Damon obediently started out of the dining room. "And wear something other than black, people are starting to think you're a _vampiro_."

3 3 3

"Whoa," Elena exclaimed as soon as she opened the door and saw Damon in jeans and a medium blue button-down. She wondered if he ever had off-days where things just didn't come together, but she doubted it. "I honestly thought you were color blind this entire time. Did Johnny Cash's estate need his wardrobe back or something?"

"Good morning, Elena," he smirked and drew her name out to a sensual purr which was enough to make her blush like a schoolgirl.

"Come on in, I just need to find my shoes," she said and opened the door widely for him before disappearing to the living room to look through her boxes for appropriate footwear. Damon stood awkwardly in the entryway wondering if he should offer some help until his eye caught a stack of mail on the floor next to the door. There were some bills, a couple of magazines, and ubiquitous junk mail but that's not what caught his interest; they had all been addressed to her place in Mystic Falls instead of being forwarded from Boston. She must have anticipated staying for a while to change her address. He was distracted by a crash of boxes and a string of colorful words that he hadn't heard from her since the day he sent her packing without signing her Grimoire contract.

"You alright in there?" he called out.

"Yeah," she yelled back, a little winded. "I'm fine, just looking for my boots."

"Do they look anything like the brown ones with brass buckles by the door?"

"Yep," she said returning to the entryway. "They look exactly like that as a matter of fact." She laughed and slipped them on, trying carefully not to lift the hem of her white sundress up too far when she bent over.

"So how do you feel about pastries and coffee?" he asked tentatively. The drive over had given him time to plan something Elena wouldn't be expecting and try to live up to what his mother had told him.

"Mmm… pastries," Elena answered and patted her growling stomach.

"Great, you can eat on the way to the Falls."

"The Falls, what?" she asked and looked down at her outfit, which wasn't exactly hike-worthy.

"My mom was right, you should visit Mystic Falls at least once while in Mystic Falls. It's a short walk to the top."

"You'll have to keep up," she joked. "I bet I'll beat you to the top."

"I know how much you like being on top Elena," he smirked and waggled his eyebrows.

"I can't say anything around you," she muttered and shook her head and she headed out to his car.

3 3 3

"I never took you for an outdoorsy kind of guy," Elena commented as they padded down the trail that led to the town's famous waterfall. Most of their walk had been comfortably silent as they just enjoyed the peacefulness of their setting.

"I like to get out every once in while," he shrugged. "You're not exactly the poster girl for REI yourself."

"Me?" Elena exclaimed. "I love the outdoors. Every summer my parents took us up to Concord near where Thoreau wrote W_alden_. Jer and I spent the entire summer running around the woods."

"Sounds nice," now that she mentioned it, it wasn't too far-fetched to imagine a younger Elena running free and wild through the forest. Actually, it wasn't too hard for him to imagine Elena doing exactly that right then.

"It was, one time we tried to build a canoe but it sunk in the middle of the lake and it took us two hours to swim back to shore," she laughed at the memory.

"You're pretty close to your brother, huh?"

"Oh yeah, we have friendship bracelets we made at camp," she answered enthusiastically. "What about you?"

"I never went to summer camp."

"You know what I meant," she scolded and bumped him with her shoulder. "What's your brother like?"

"Eh, Stefan and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things," he shrugged; he wasn't comfortable talking about his relationship with Stefan. It was a long and complicated story but at the end of the day he'd do anything for his baby brother. "We were pretty close when we were kids, but just kind of drifted apart as we got older."

"Because of Katherine?"

"No, she's barely a footnote and she makes Stef happy for some unknown reason so I just keep my mouth shut."

"You're a good big brother," Elena smiled.

"I know," he replied arrogantly and threw her a lop-sided smile.

"Have you always lived in Mystic Falls?"

"Yeah, except when I was in college."

"Where'd you go to college?"

"University of Virginia. What's with the twenty questions?"

"Just wondering," she shrugged, but was still pleased with herself for getting at least a few of her questions answered before he clammed back up. "How much longer to the top?"

"A few hundred meters, getting tired?"

"Not in a million years, Salvatore," Elena scoffed. "I was just a little worried about you, you're looking kind of winded there."

"I've got stamina, I can go for hours," Damon said suggestively and cocked and eyebrow at her, as if challenging her to deny it.

"I really can't take you anywhere, can I?"

"You can _take me_ anywhere you want, all you have to do is ask. Out in the woods would be a new one though."

"Ugh, you're lucky I'm having a good time Smarmy."

"I'm glad," he said simply. "So this is it: Mystic Falls."

"Wow, it's really beautiful. How cold do you think the water is?"

"Probably pretty damn cold," he answered and looked over to his side, only to see Elena sitting on a rock and slipping her boots off. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to see how cold the water is," she answered like it was obvious and dipped her toe into the river. "Oiy, it _is _really cold!"

"No kidding. It's not even spring yet," he watched her as she stepped her entire foot into the river and waded out to her calves. "Elena?"

"I'm looking for fish," she shouted back and picked up the hem of her dress so it wouldn't get wet and waded out a little deeper. This was the sort of thing she could never get away with back in Boston, being free and reveling in the small wonders of life. Every time she tried she was shut down based on the fact that it wasn't "appropriate" behavior for a young woman in the professional circle.

"You're insane!" he called back to her. No sooner than he settled on a moss-covered rock to watch and make she wasn't swept downstream a crack of thunder rattled the air and a few rain drops pelted down through the trees above. "Looks like rain."

"You don't say," she laughed and looked up at the sky letting the rain fall onto her face.

"We should head back before it gets worse," he suggested.

"Fine," Elena pouted and swished her way through the water back to the shore where she begrudgingly pulled her boots back on. Another crack of thunder seemed to herald an awaiting downpour and torrents of rain opened up from the clouds. Damon tried to stand as close to the trunk of a pine tree to stay dry and wait for it to let up a little, but Elena lured him in with a mischievous grin.

"Race 'ya," she giggled and took off back down the path towards the car, disappearing into the mist before he even started moving.

3 3 3

"I did _not_ see that coming," Elena laughed through her chattering teeth as Damon unlocked her door. The rain thundered onto the hood of the car with such ferocity that it kicked up little bit of mist that made it look like everything was smoking. He reached over to the backseat to retrieve his leather jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, rubbing her upper arms to try to warm her up.

"A few hundred more meters and I think you'd be hypothermic," Damon smiled. His strokes down her arms got slower and she stared up at him through her thick eyelashes. She was still shivering, but he didn't think it had anything to do with the cold. His hands traced a soft path from her shoulders up the side of neck to come to rest on her cheeks. He traced the arch of her cheekbones with his thumbs, being especially careful of her bandages, and let his gaze drop to her glossy lips. Her skin was wet and moist, but he could feel the subtle sizzle of electricity under his fingers wherever he touched her.

"Damon," she whispered and it was more than he could bear, they'd danced around the sexual tension that had been building between them for too long. The desperation in her voice was enough to drive away what little restraint he had and without a further thought he melded his lips to hers. Elena whimpered under the passion in his touch and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. His fingers delved into her wet hair and tugged at her tangled strands to bring her closer to him. Elena climbed onto his lap and straddled his waist, kissing him back with all she had. His fingers crept up her thighs and rolled up the hem of her dress, she leaned back shrug his jacket off of her shoulders and hit the horn on the steering wheel.

"Oops," she giggled and interlocked her fingers behind his neck, pulling him back for another kiss. He tried to help her with her sweater but ended up smacking his elbow into the window with impressive force.

"Dammit," he growled making Elena giggle even more. "Back seat?" he asked and she scrambled off of his lap to climb into the backseat, giving him a nice view of her firm backside. He followed her but his hand slipped on the wet vinyl seat and he tumbled on top of her with a grunt. When he recovered his balance her fingers were already busy at work on the buttons of his shirt. He stripped off the wet piece of fabric and threw it to the floorboards. The prickling chill of the air was quickly replaced by her hands on his back as she re-familiarized her palms with his taut muscles. Damon made a final attempt at Elena's sweater and got it mostly over her head before it got tangled in her wet hair.

"Ow," she yelped and tugged at the material covering her face, "I'm stuck." Damon snickered and helped undo the snarl of merino cable knit suffocating Elena until they were both laughing in earnest. When she was freed and her sweater joined Damon's shirt on the floor she saw that his blue eyes were smoldering as he watched her and the rest of the world fell away. All that mattered in that moment was that he was looking at her like she was the only woman on the planet and she surrendered to him completely. His hands traced a path up the damp skin of her thighs and under the cotton eyelet fabric of her dress until his fingertips ran over the edge of her lace panties. She lifted her hips slightly so he could drag the scrap of fabric down her legs to join the growing heap of discarded clothing. Her hands eagerly pulled at the buttons of his jeans. His lips took her lips in a deep embrace as he joined their bodies.

"Oh god, Damon," she gasped and in that moment, he knew that he would do anything to hear her say his name like that. Being inside of her felt familiar and new, all at the same time. The last time they had been like this they were two strangers looking for something to distract them for a night. They'd had sex that first night, and it was good, but it was still just sex. This was something different all together; it was literally _making_ love: they were slowly building something that would someday look and feel like love. She was under his skin this time, right where he wanted her.

Elena puled softly and rolled her hips against his in a tacit request for him to move. Their rhythm was so slow and sensual that it belied their original impulsiveness. Damon circled his arm under her head to make her more comfortable and hold her more tightly against him.

"Elena," he groaned as her lithe frame bowed against his chest and he felt himself nearing the precipice of oblivion. The feeling of her nails burrowing into his back as she reached her own bliss was enough to push him over the edge. He crumbled against her and nuzzled against the soft cotton eyelet of her dress bodice as she toyed with his wet hair. They laid in silence listening to the rain pelting the roof of the car. An avalanche of forbidden little words like "falling" and "love" crashed into the back of his clenched teeth with such force that he was barely able to hold them back. He swallowed them down but they felt jagged against his throat; they didn't want to be locked back up, they wanted to spring out and tighten the little ribbons of affection that were forming between their master and the woman who filled his every thought. The little words knew that they would have little partners from Elena to help with the ribbons if their master would set them free. Begrudgingly, they accepted their commands; they had lain in disuse for so long that a few more days or weeks wouldn't matter. The little words would be ready whenever Damon needed them. Just because he wrangled his eager words didn't mean that Elena would necessarily do the same and a new wave of anxiety washed over him as he waited for her to speak. In that moment she held all of the power she needed to break him even if she didn't know it.

"I'm getting cold," she murmured and pulled her dress down from where it was bunched around her waist. Simple and uncomplicated—cold, he could fix that.

"It'll take a few minutes for the heater to warm up," he said coolly and buttoned his jeans before pulling his shirt back on.

"Ok," she answered, staring at the ceiling with her palms flat against her stomach. Her face was unreadable and he hoped she wasn't regretting it already.

The drive back to her house was quiet and she stared out the window the whole time with her chin in her hand. From the few glances he stole she looked thoughtful and not angry, which was good.

"So, uh… the power usually goes out when it rains," he said awkwardly when they pulled into her driveway.

"I have a bunch of candles I can use."

"You'll call if you need anything?"

"I will," she promised as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She reached for the door handle but stopped herself and turned back towards Damon, pulling him into a heated kiss. "Thank you for today," she said quietly and beat a hasty retreat for her porch. He waited until she was inside to put the car back in gear and head for home.

3 3 3

That night he was roused from a fitful sleep by an odd variation of a dream he had had a thousand times before:

_He was back in the international departures terminal where he had been so many times before. His fingers were coiled around the familiar handles of Rose's luggage, waiting for her to print her boarding passes at the check-in counter. Travelers of all kinds were rushing to make their connections or meet their loved ones at the gate but he couldn't take his eyes off of her: his beautiful wife. The springy curls in her hair bounced as she laughed at something the ticket agent said and she looked over her shoulder at him with a loving smile. _

_ "Do you have everything you need?" he asked as she walked back over to him and folded her into his arms._

_ "I suppose so."_

_ "I hate that you have to leave like this," he said and kissed her forehead. "I'll be waiting for you."_

_ "No," she shook her heads and put her finger over his lips. "Promise me that you won't."_

_ "Rose," he chuckled, "don't be ridiculous. It's only a few months."_

_ "Not this time," she shook her head sadly and took his hands in hers._

_ "What are you talking about? We were planning for summer vacation, remember?"_

_ "Just promise me that you won't wait forever," she pled so desperately that he had no choice but to agree._

_ "Alright honey," he rolled his eyes and kissed her knuckles. "I promise."_

_ "Thank you," she said and stepped away from him to gather her things. "Goodbye."_

_ "For a little while," Damon pressed. Rose smiled a gentle smile that didn't quite reach her glassy green eyes. "You'll be back soon."_

_ "Goodbye, Damon."_

He tried to fall back asleep and forget the dream but it was futile. He pulled himself out of bed and padded downstairs to the living room where he found the fireplace glowing with a few smoldering embers. As quietly as he could he added another log to the grate and poured himself a tumbler of his best bourbon.

"Stefan?" Eloisa asked. She heard noises in the living room and got up thinking that Stefan and Katherine's flight had arrived early and they caught a cab home. "Damon, my goodness! What on Earth are you doing up at this hour?"

"I'm forgetting her," he said quietly twisting a crystal tumbler in his hand, his eyes still fixed on the dancing flames in the fireplace. "Rose. I'm forgetting her, _mamma_. I'm trying to remember her voice and what she felt like, but I can't. I used to remember everything and it seemed like it was yesterday, but it's fading away. There's less and less of her everyday."

"It's ok to let go, son," she was well acquainted with the pain her eldest son was feeling after losing her own husband.

"Do you remember what Dad was like, before he got sick?"

"We were married for forty two years, there are some things I can't forget."

"But what if I do? What if I forget her?"

"You'll never forget her, Damon. A part of Rose will always be with you."

"Yeah, I guess," he said, resigned and unconvinced.

"What else is on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"Don't 'nothing' me. You are as transparent as your father when you're dwelling," she smiled fondly at his likeness to her husband. "Firstly, _this_ isn't going to help you with anything," she said, taking the tumbler from his hands and setting it on the coffee table before taking a seat on the sofa across from him. "Now tell me what's troubling you."

"It's Elena," he admitted and dropped his head into his hands, "I'm fuc— messing it up."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because it's true. I'm so screwed up I don't even remember how to be happy. Then she comes along and looks at me like I'm her damned answer to everything and I feel like a fraud every time. She sees a guy who doesn't exist and I've fed the illusion and played the part of _not_ the emotionally stunted widower. In the end it's all just one long countdown until I screw it up and break her heart."

"Why are you so certain it will end like that?"

"I can't keep it up forever, sooner or later she's going to see what I really am, and who wants that guy?"

"So you presume that Elena is stupid and imperceptive," Eloisa stated.

"No, not at all," Damon snapped his head up.

"Son," she began, "Elena is a much smarter woman that you are giving her credit for, and you are putting far too much stock in your acting abilities. You don't disguise yourself as well as you think you do. If you are hiding something from her, ask yourself why you are keeping it a secret. Is it to protect her or is it to protect yourself?"

"I just don't want to hurt her," he mumbled, but he knew that it was partly because he was afraid of losing her.

"Are you sure it's not because you don't want to revisit the past by being honest with her?"

"Both, I guess."

"I think you know what you need to do. Everyone has a past and some are nicer than others but there's nothing you can do about it now. What you do have control over is how you let your past dictate your future. I know you loved Rose, _mio angelo,_ and part of you will always miss her, but you can't let that part of you stop you from living. Are you afraid that you may love Elena more than you loved Rose?"

"Yes," Damon said quietly. His mother had given a voice to his greatest fear since losing Rose: that if he ever fell in love again, he may love more deeply and more ardently than he did before. The only way he was able to justify Rose's death in his mind was to convince himself that she died for an epic, once-in-a-lifetime love and if that was no longer true, then she would have died for nothing.

"You just need to be honest with her and let her make her own decision."

* * *

**A/N: What did you all think? I wanted to get a better feel for Damon's anxiety so I tried to keep most of this chapter in his POV. Let me know what you think!**

**~XOXO Anna **


	10. Chapter 10: Secrets

_Hi awesome readers! Another new update, big happenings in this one :) I hope you all like it! I'll be responding with PMs again this time to your reviews. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read and review the last chapter! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your input :D Ill be updating _AYATM_ this week as well, so stay tuned for that one! Happy reading friends!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

Elena stared at her computer screen as tears began to blur her vision. She looked back down at the little weepy red welts trailing over the tops of her feet and up her legs, then back to the pictures on the screen. She took a deep breath and picked up her phone, dialing an increasingly familiar number.

"Damon, something's wrong. Really wrong," Elena sobbed into the phone, this wasn't exactly the first conversation she was hoping to have with him after their confusing encounter in the back seat of his car the day before, but it would have to do. "I woke up with all these red dots on my feet and I went on WebMD and everything is saying that it's bad news. I don't know what to do!"

"_Calm down, Elena,_" Damon groaned._ "I can't understand a word you're saying. What's wrong?_"

"I have Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever!" she cried, wiping viciously at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "It hurts, Damon."

"_It's too cold for ticks, Elena,_" Damon explained softly, trying to talk her down from the proverbial ledge she was standing on. He partly wanted to assuage her anguish for her own sake, but partly for his as well; his head was pounding with the hangover he had drunk himself into after his conversation with his mother and everything that happened with Elena._ "I highly doubt that it's Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever._"

"Oh my god!" she panicked and tears ran down her face with even more fervor, now her shoulders were shaking with her sobs. "It's smallpox then! I never got the vaccine, Damon!"

"_Ok, crazy," _he said, the static on the phone suggested that he was pulling clothes on as he was talking to her._ "Smallpox has been eradicated for over forty years, so unless Mystic Falls is the epicenter of a bioterrorist attack that only you know about, you don't have smallpox. What makes you think there's something wrong with you?_"

"I woke up this morning and there's little red spots all over and it hurts and itches. Every time I scratch them it hurts more and some of them are bleeding."

"_It's probably just an allergic reaction to something, you said yourself there are a lot of things down here that you didn't have in Boston,_" he reminded her. _"Do you have Benadryl that you can take?_"

"No," she whimpered through the deep breaths she was trying to trap in her lungs.

"_Put an ice pack on where it itches most, I'll be right over_."

3 3 3

"I'm dying aren't I?" Elena asked, her bottom lip trembling fiercely, as Damon looked at the array of welts across the tops of her feet and up her calves. She looked so young and scared at that moment that he just wanted to scoop her up and cradle her in his arms.

"You're not dying, Elena" Damon chuckled.

"How is it funny?" in an instant her expression switched from devastated to furious. "This could be serious, Damon!"

"It's just a little Southern hospitality. Were you out in the grass at all?"

"Um… yeah, Carol told me I could plant vegetable garden and I've never grown my own food before so I wanted to give it a try," Elena shrugged shyly.

"Well, there you go, those are chigger bites. You just need to wear insect repellent next time."

"A what a-what?"

"Chigger bite, they're little mite larvae that live in the grass. They're pretty much harmless they just itch like hell. They're all over the southeast. You've probably never been exposed to them before, which explains why your reaction is so florid, but it's nothing to worry about."

"So I'm going to be ok?" she blushed, embarrassed at her dramatic reaction.

"You're going to be fine," Damon smiled as he tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear, "well, provided you never wake me up at five o'clock screaming about smallpox again."

"Deal, WebMD is kind of alarmist. I put that I had red spots and a whole bunch of scary stuff came up."

"They have to give the worst case scenario so they don't get sued."

"I'm sorry for waking you up," she said looking down at her feet. "You look really tired."

"Thanks, rough night," he said drily and ran his hand through his hair. "What are you doing up so early anyways?"

"I'm going to see my brothers," she smiled broadly, tinting her cheeks a delightful pink with the effort.

"I thought you only had one brother?"

"Well Jeremy is my only biological brother, but we've pretty much adopted his roommate, Kol. They've been in the same unit since basic training and he doesn't have much family left so he spends his breaks with my family. They're both stationed at Langley Air Force base and have a three-day pass so my dad came down from Boston and rented a beach house for a pre-deployment vacation. It's only a couple of hours away, so I was going to go spend the day with them."

"Huh," Damon nodded with the new information. He had been hoping to spend a little time with Elena, even if just to talk about what happened but if she was going all the way to Langley she wouldn't be back until late. "Well, have a good trip."

"Yeah, thanks," she said awkwardly, feeling an almost imperceptible shift in the room. "Uh… if you're not busy, you could come, too. I mean if you wanted. If not, that's cool, too."

"I can't," he answered quickly, "but thanks. I just have a lot of stuff to do today."

"Right, totally understand," she smiled, trying not to seem too disappointed but her face must have given her away.

"But, it could wait," Damon offered after a few awkward seconds that felt like weeks. "If you wanted company for the drive."

"I wouldn't want you to re-arrange your schedule or anything," she shook her head, trying to hide another wide grin. "It _would _be fun though."

"Yeah, sure. But we're taking my car," Damon smirked.

3 3 3

"Hey," he scolded and slapped her hand away from the radio dial. "Don't touch that."

"Are you going to hog the radio for the whole drive?" Elena asked, taken aback at his dashboard defense.

"It's my car, isn't it?"

"I could have driven," she huffed and dropped further back in the seat crossing her arms.

"You drive a girl car and the only thing worse than a guy driving a girl car is riding in the passenger seat of a girl car while a girl is driving."

"At least I have satellite radio."

"This car is a classic, Elena," Damon explained with an eye roll. "You don't just go throwing bells and whistles in the dash because you think they're cool. You have to consider the integrity of the machine."

"Whatever. Can I at least see what else is on?"

"What's wrong with classic rock?"

"It all sounds the same."

"Alright fine, I am thinking of a number between one and one-hundred. If you get within five of it, you can control the radio," he offered in concession.

"Seventy-two," Elena answered quickly and he winced.

"Dammit," he groaned. "It was seventy-four."

"That means the radio is all mine," she giggled and found a country station that came in clearly. "I love this song!" she squealed and clicked the volume button up to sing along. "_Someday you'll be looking back on your life at the memories, this is gonna be one of those nights_."

"You like country?" he asked amusedly.

"Yep," she smiled and hummed along.

"So, your brother and father? What uh," Damon cleared his throat awkwardly, "what kind of reaction are they going to have to us showing up together?"

"My mom won't be there so it'll be fine. No one is going to ask you anything so we don't really need to tell them anything."

"Ok then," he answered shortly. "But _if_ they do ask?"

"They won't," she insisted. She stretched her hands in front of her and yawned deeply. Before Damon knew it Elena was asleep on his shoulder. He turned the radio down and the heat up to make the car a little more comfortable. He glanced down at her and saw her rosy lips turned up into a subtle smile like a modern Mona Lisa and he wondered if that's how she always slept. His mother's words rang through his thoughts: "_You just need to be honest with her_." Honest, honest, _honest_.

3 3 3

"Man, where are they? They were supposed to be out at eleven," Elena said, bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet peeking through the chain link fence at the stream of olive drab-clad men and women heading off base for a long weekend. Damon discretely took a look at his watch: 11:03 am. "Do you think they forgot what time we were meeting?"

"I doubt they'd forget," Damon shrugged, feeling profoundly uncomfortable in the situation he found himself in. He knew how him being there would look to Elena's family and they hadn't exactly come to a consensus on what to tell them if they started asking questions since Elena fell asleep on the drive. Then there was the small matter of the talk he needed to have with Elena. It was quite some time since a woman had gotten him so tangled and confused.

"Come on, come on," Elena said to herself. "Wait! That's them!" she waved at two dark-haired young men walking their way with green bags slung over their shoulders. "Jer! Kol!" she shouted and waved her arm wildly in the air to get their attention. When the taller man saw Elena waving he smiled widely and waved back, triggering Elena to take off after him at a full gallop and leap into his arms. Jeremy swung his sister around before sitting her back on the ground and kissing her forehead. The second man dropped his bag on the ground and wrapped her in a big bear hug. She was saying something and looking in Damon's direction, leading him to believe that she was telling her brother and his friend about him tagging along for the day.

"Damon, this is my not-so-little brother, Jeremy," she introduced them as she walked back over, "and my almost-brother, Kol. Jeremy, Kol, this is my friend, Damon."

"Great to meet you, Damon," Kol smiled and shook Damon's hand.

"I hope you drugged her for the drive up here and didn't have to listen to her backseat driving the whole time," Jeremy laughed, looking in Elena's direction.

"Hey!" Elena scoffed and punched her brother in the arm.

"Eh, she wore her bossy pants out after a while and fell asleep," Damon shrugged.

"Hey!" she repeated and punched Damon in the arm. "Thirty seconds and you're already ganging up on me! How is that fair?"

"Well you're kind of outnumbered, Lena," Jeremy laughed. "Should have brought Bonnie with you."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's _exactly_ why you wish she brought Bonnie," Kol said jokingly, making Elena erupt into a fit of giggles. She could only imagine how much Bonnie-pining Kol had been witness to over the past few years.

"So how did you get saddled with the girlfriend family reunion, Damon?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh, we're not—"

"Damon isn't—" Elena started at the same time as Damon was trying to stutter his way through his own explanation. He stopped and gestured for her to explain.

"My bad," Jeremy said, with an apologetic smile. "Say no more."

"Um… Papa is at the beach house," Elena said to break the tension. "He made sure the barbeque is working."

"Sweet," Jeremy said with a fist pump. "What are we waiting for then? Let's get to Q-ing. I'll call a cab."

"Damon has his car here," Elena smiled at him.

"Nice car," Jeremy said as they approached Damon's Camaro. "What is that, like a '69?"

"Yeah, my dad bought it new off the lot and babied her for forty years before I got it," Damon answered nonchalantly but Elena could tell how proud he was of the car.

"Sweet, what's under it? Inline-six?" Jeremy asked, looking over the Camaro's lines appreciatively.

"V8," Damon grinned and popped the hood. "I haven't really gotten into it much, my brother tweaked a few things but I tried to keep it all original."

"Now _this_ is a car," Kol nodded leaning over the hood. "I bet you hate Elena's Mini Cooper, huh?"

"No, not at all," Damon said loud enough for Elena to hear, but nodded to Kol and Jeremy and mouthed a "_hell yes_." The three men joked easily with each other and Damon's anxiety slowly began to evaporate.

3 3 3

"Did you pack enough there son?" Grayson Gilbert asked with a wide smile as he saw Jeremy walking up the porch steps with his enormous C-bag tossed over his shoulder. The older man swung open the screen door and pulled his son into a hug. "So what are we calling you these days Airman?" Jeremy proudly handed him a leatherette folder with his promotion certificate inside. Grayson flipped the folder open and read the citation within. "_Captain_ Jeremy J. Gilbert. I'll be damned! Alright, Kol, let's see yours."

"I couldn't let Little Gilbert have _all_ the fun," Kol smiled and showed off the captain ranks on his lapels before smirking at Jeremy, "and it'd be a cold day in hell before I ever salute you, mate."

"If I had a Facebook I'd be tweeting this right now," Grayson nodded with pride.

"Twitter is for tweeting," Elena said as she peeked over Jeremy's bag.

"Is that my little bear cub?"

"Ugh, Papa… you're embarrassing me," Elena grumbled jokingly and hugged her father tightly.

"I find that hard to believe Lena. And you must be Mysterious Hottie Boss Guy I keep hearing so much about from Caroline," Caroline had worked as a receptionist at Grayson's office since high school and still worked for him on weekends or whenever he was short-staffed.

"Damon Salvatore," Damon smiled and shook Elena's father's hand.

"Grayson Gilbert, pleasure to meet you Damon, nice to put a face on the hours and hours of gossip." Gray chuckled and winked at his daughter as he herded his "kids" into the house. "What on Earth did you do to your back?"

"Oh," she asked and peeked over her shoulder to see that her bandage had peeled away from her skin. "It's a long story, I fell on my old mirror and cut myself."

"You should have tipped whoever did this," Gray commented as he put on his glasses and looked closer at her wound. "That's nice work."

"Damon did it," she smiled at her guest, who was clearly uncomfortable in the situation he had found himself in.

"Nice work, Damon. What is that? Subcuticular?"

"Yeah, it was down to the acromion so I used a simple interrupted on the deeper layers," for a moment Damon was back in rounds all over again explaining his clinical rationale as nervous freshman. "I was debating a horizontal mattress because of the tension, but I buried the knots pretty deep so hopefully it holds."

"Horizontal mattress would have been my first instinct, but this looks much better. No swelling or dehiscence," Gray assessed as though he was Damon's professor. "Nice job thinking outside the box, son. Really handy work."

"Thanks," Damon said with a sigh of relief.

"What's for dinner pops, I'm starving?" Jeremy asked from his spot in the recliner.

"There are steaks out on the grill, I didn't want to start them without your expertise," Grayson announced and both Jeremy and Kol hopped out of their respective seats and made their way swiftly to the patio. "There are drinks in the cooler," he called after them, knowing they were looking forward to a weekend of eating something other than chow hall slop.

3 3 3

"So Damon," Grayson started once they were all settled at the dining room table, "what do you think of the e-reader craze?"

"Luckily Mystic Falls isn't exactly technology Mecca so I figure we have a few more years of selling regular books before people start going for digital copies. I'm a fan of regular paper books myself, but I get the green appeal and mobility of e-readers."

"I'd be onboard if they made textbooks for Kindle. I hate seeing my students get raked over the coals for books they probably don't even crack all semester."

"Do you have any hot single friends in Virginia yet, Lena?" Kol asked.

"Um…" Elena thought carefully. "I think the girl at the coffee shop is single."

"Ugh. That coffee is no good; boring, lukewarm coffee. Ouch!" Damon yelped as Elena kicked him under the table and shot him a vicious look.

"Bad coffee is better than no coffee at all," Kol shrugged.

"Kol!" Elena exclaimed.

"Coffee is important to any good relationship," Grayson commented off-handedly, earning snickers from the three other men.

"Papa!" Elena shouted and dropped her fork to her plate. "What is _wrong_ with you guys?!"

"Elena, chill," Jeremy said and his shoulders started shaking in silent laughter. Elena could tell he was about to say something he shouldn't, "someone didn't get her coffee this morning." Elena's mouth hung open at her brother's comment, but Kol and Damon were in stitches, even Gray was trying to stifle his laughter.

"This is so unfair," Elena huffed and scooped a heaping spoon of potato salad into her mouth. "I hate you all," she grumbled, which only made them laugh harder.

After they had all finished dinner Jeremy and Elena cleared the table as Kol set up their traditional poker game. Elena had hoped to go for a walk on the beach and look for shells, so she gave Damon her usual seat the table and made her way to the door.

"Not so fast, Lena," Kol smirked and pulled her into his lap and whispered something in her ear. She smiled mischievously and looked at his cards before pulling two out of them from his hand and putting them back on the table. Damon was trying not to be jealous, he told himself that he had _no reason_ to be jealous, but it was a tall order watching Elena with her arm around Kol's neck and his hand dangerously low on her hip. _He's like a brother to her_ he repeated in his head, _a really affectionate brother_. When the second round of cards was dealt both Elena and Kol grinned at each other.

"I'll just go first gentleman," Kol said and laid his cards on the table. "Four of a kind."

"Nothing here," Grayson said and laid his cards out on the table. "I can't believe you're still helping him cheat against your own father, Lena."

"It's not Kol's fault he's simple," Elena said as she stood up and mussed Kol's hair in a sibling-esque way like Damon had done to Stefan a thousand times. _That's more like it,_ Damon thought to himself.

"Nothing," Jeremy groaned, losing for the sixth hand in a row. "Damon?"

"Flush," Damon said nonchalantly and spread his cards out on the table.

"Elena you suck at this, I'm asking Damon to help me cheat next time," Kol pouted. Elena just stuck her tongue out at him and pulled on a sweater.

The moon was hanging just below the horizon as Elena made her way down the beach. She walked barefoot along the surf line staring into the sand for shells and beach glass. The little red spots across the tops of her feet reminded her of Damon and she lost herself in thinking about him and how different he seemed now than when they first met. She mindlessly plucked a few shells and shards of tumbled glass from the sand and buried them in the pockets of her sweater. Before she realized it she was well down the beach and her cardigan was slipping off of her shoulders from the weights in her pockets. Elena smiled to herself and turned around to head back to the house, it had been quite some time since she last lost herself in a daydream.

When she made it back to the porch she perched on the railing and pulled her treasures from her pockets. She dusted off each one with care and inspected them, admiring their colors and swirls. She heard the screen door hinges creak behind her and Damon walked out on the porch to join her.

"All done?" she asked looking up from her shells.

"I figured they would want a break from losing," he shrugged and sat down next to her.

"How magnanimous of you."

"Do you want to head out or stay here tonight?" he asked, watching the delicacy with which she tended to her shells. "Your dad said it's ok with him if we stay and Ric can open the store tomorrow."

"Um… would you mind staying?"

"Not at all, I kind of already gambled away omelets in the morning anyways," Damon chuckled and leaned back against the porch post. "What's that?" he asked pointed to the shell she was rolling in her hands.

"Oh, it's a shell from a lightening whelk. Native Americans used to use them to make jewelry," she said thoughtfully and held up the shell in the moonlight. "Pretty, huh?"

"Beautiful," he agreed, but he wasn't looking at the shell. Instead he was watching the way the moonlight fell across her hair and illuminated her face. Her eyes danced with delight the way they did when she was in the creek looking for fish.

"Oh, that's rare," Elena smiled and dropped a smooth piece of reddish-gold sea glass in his hand. "Amberina, they don't make that kind of glass anymore."

"You know a lot about this stuff," he observed.

"I was a big _Indiana Jones_ fan when I was a kid. I used to beach comb Boston Harbor looking for Revolutionary War artifacts and sivalinga stones," she explained. "I'm glad you came."

"Yeah, me too," he nodded. Taking what he saw as his perfect opening, Damon leaned in and pulled Elena to him for a kiss. He had been thinking about what happened in his car and he had to know if it was a fluke or if everything between them was electric. It was. To his surprise Elena deepened the kiss by swiping her tongue playfully across his lips and threading her fingers through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her to bring her closer and he could feel the heat radiating off of her body.

"Hey, Damo— ugh… gross," Jeremy grimaced and slammed the door just as quickly as opened it. "Pops, Elena is necking on the porch!" Elena felt a rush of heated mortification flush her face and could feel tears stinging her eyes. Damon still kept his arms around her despite Jeremy's interruption and she couldn't help but succumb to the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Little brothers," Damon chuckled.

"Little brothers," Elena agreed.

3 3 3

"Damon, this is my bed," she tugged at the comforter hoping to roll him off of the mattress so she could get some sleep. He just wiggled his eyebrows and stretched his arms behind his head, getting more comfortable. Grayson had offered them the upstairs room with two beds despite Damon's insistence that he would be comfortable on the couch.

"I don't bite," he said smoothly, "without permission."

"I'm tired," she sighed and tugged at the blankets again to no avail. She flipped her half of the blankets down and snuggled into bed. "Can you at least change the channel? I don't like scary stuff."

"It's _CSI_ Elena."

"Yeah, so? It's still scary," she snatched the remote from his hands and found an old _I Love Lucy_ rerun. "Here, something we both can agree on."

"I didn't agree on this," he took the remote back and changed the channel again. "Would her highness stoop from her lofty throne to negotiate on a movie title with me?"

"Indeed we would," Elena smirked.

"How about _Iron Man 2_? It just started," Damon noted flipping through the onscreen guide.

"That's good. Can you get me a Coke?"

"Are your legs broken?"

"No, but I'm already in my jammies tucked in snug as a bug and you're still fully-dressed and not under the blankets at all."

"Is that your way of asking me to get naked between the sheets with you?"

"No, that's my super secret way of asking you to get me a Coke." Damon groaned in protest but picked himself off of the bed to get her a soda. She was fussing with the on-demand features on the television so she didn't notice Damon shaking the can vigorously when he walked back into the room.

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly and he almost felt bad for what was about to happen. _Almost_. She cracked the pop-top on the soda and it sprayed out all over her tank top. "DAMON!"

"Oops, apologies your highness. I forgot to tell you that I shook the shit out of your can," he laughed heartily. As annoying as it was to have to sleep in a sticky top, Elena liked seeing Damon enjoy himself. It was so rare that he actually laughed and smiled, aside from his sarcastic smirk and self-congratulatory grins.

"Alright, I get it. That was a good one," she chuckled. "It's on now though. You should know that I am the undisputed champion of road trip pranks. Watch your back Salvatore."

"Pssht," Damon scoffed, "_girl_ road trips with Blondie and JuJu B?" Elena snorted at the nickname and whipped her phone out to text it to Bonnie, giggling the entire time she was tapping on her phone.

They both settled against the headboard of the bed and focused on the movie. At some point Elena could feel her eyelids become heavy and before she knew it she sank into a deep and comfortable sleep with her head on Damon's chest. When she woke up the credits were rolling across the screen and Damon was trying to extract himself carefully from her bed.

"Sorry," he whispered, "I was trying not to wake you up."

"That's ok," she replied sleepily and rubbed her eyes. She could see the generous piled of clothes she had heaped on Damon's bed while she was looking for a sweater and he was carefully replacing her things back in her bag. "Don't worry about it Damon, just sleep over here."

"It's fine."

"Just put your pajamas on and come to bed you stubborn mule."

"I usually sleep naked."

"Fine then get naked and come to bed," she replied without breaking eye contact. She was calling his bluff and she didn't think he'd actually follow through.

"Don't say I didn't warn you Miss Sassy Prank Princess," he smirked and stripped every last piece of clothing off and made himself comfortable in bed next to her. She was too shocked to say anything in protest and just stared at him with her jaw dropped. "I'm sorry does 'naked' mean something else in New England?"

"My dad and brother are down the hall!" Elena hissed in a harsh whisper.

"They're medical professionals, it's not like they haven't seen a million naked people."

"Stay on your side of the bed and no funny business," she warned, narrowing her eyes to emphasize her point before flipping over and settling with her back to him.

"_You_ stay on _your_ side Elena. I don't want you sullying my virtue because you can't resist my gorgeous body."

When she awoke in the morning she was almost immediately aware of the warm body wrapped around her. She was snuggled closely to Damon's side with her head on his chest and his arms tightly circled around her. She was just about to say something before she realized that they were both on his side of the bed, meaning she had initiated the boundary invasion at some point during the night. As carefully as she could she tilted her head to see if he was still asleep; she wouldn't have admitted it to him at the risk of stroking his ego even more, but she liked being held by him and she liked being cuddled by him. Gratefully he was still asleep so she closed her eyes again to enjoy a few more peaceful minutes in his arms.

She was lightly dozing on the border of sleep when she felt his fingers lightly brush through her hair and trace down her arms. His breathing was still soft and steady so she figured that he was just having a dream. She resisted waking him, even as his hands found their way down her back and under her tank top to trace along her spine.

"I knew you were awake," he mumbled sleepily and rolled over, pulling her snugly against his chest and nuzzling his face in her hair. "You're a bed hog."

"And you're a cuddler," she giggled.

"Shhh, don't tell," he smiled against her skin and kissed the back of her neck. "I want to show you something important when we get home."

"Ok, but right now I think everyone is awaiting some omelets by Chef Salvatore."

Damon rolled himself out of bed and got dressed, grumbling the whole time about mornings. He didn't seem quite as jovial during breakfast as he had during dinner and the poker game the night before and he waited quietly in the car while Elena said her goodbyes to her family. He was also strangely silent for the ride back to Mystic Falls and didn't argue at all as Elena flipped through the radio stations.

Instead of taking the turn off the main highway to head towards town, Damon continued down a small two-lane road past the outskirts of Mystic Falls and came to a stop outside of the cemetery.

"A cemetery? Damon, what are we doing here?" Elena asked, looking confused.

"Come with me," he said simply, offering her his hand to help her out of the car. Instead of letting go as she thought he would, he held his firm grip on her as they wove through the lines of marble headstones. "This is it," he said and drug his hand through his hair when they came to a small tomb with _SALVATORE_ inscribed over the door. He pushed open the squeaky gate and led her into the surprisingly clean and well-kept building.

_Rose-Marie Salvatore 1986-2007._ Elena silently appraised the placard on the marble wall of the tomb as a flurry of questions whirled in her head.

Damon cleared his throat and answered Elena's unasked question, "my wife."

* * *

**A/N: The truth comes out at long last! How do you think Elena will react? Let me know what you think of the chappie :)**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	11. Chapter 11: Brass Letters

_Hi friends! Many apologies in advance for the short chapter, but it's a biggie and I really wanted to get something out for you all :) If you follow my other story you know that I broke my arm (I am grace incarnate, what can I say?) so the whole typing thing has been a wee bit difficult. On the bright side this plaster monstrosity and I are bidding 'sayonara' to one another next week and I'll be back to writing pages of drivel :) Back to the story though, things are going to start getting interesting with our beloved D/E ;) P.S. My roommate issued a "tissue advisory" for this chapter... just fair warning. Enjoy!_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own _The Vampire Diaries_, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended. _

* * *

"My wife," Damon said quietly and shifted his feet uncomfortably on the marble floor of the tomb. "Rose was my wife."

"I'm sorry, I—I had no idea that you were married," Elena murmured as her mind whirled to recalibrate everything she thought she knew about Damon Salvatore. Suddenly, small pieces of him began to fall into place—the reticence, the avoidance, the unspoken past—it all made perfect sense. While she had suspected that he hid something behind all of his snark and bravado, she had no idea that he was hiding something like that.

"Besides my parents, Stefan, and Katherine, no one did. Not even Ric," he explained as he buried his hands in his jacket pockets and stared at the plaque on the wall. "Her very proper English parents hated me so we kept our marriage a secret."

"God Damon, I am so sorry," Elena whispered. She wasn't just sorry for his loss, she was sorry for how frustrated she had gotten with him and how much she had pushed him to answer her myriad questions. She could only imagine that every time she had tried to break through his walls she was inadvertently causing him pain.

"When her parents found out we were married they cut her off and disowned her. It was all my fault, I'm the one that gave away our secret. She was on a plane, coming back to me, and it crashed over the ocean. They uh—never found any survivors." He paused and took a deep steadying breath before continuing quietly. "If it hadn't been for me—it's my fault she's dead. I killed her."

"No, Damon, you can't blame yourself. You had no way of knowing what would happen." Elena offered softly, knowing it was a hollow and unconvincing statement. She took his hand in a reassuring grip and stroked her thumb across his knuckles. "What was she like?"

"She was… just, extraordinary in so many ways," he said with a small rueful smile. "She was smart, funny, beautiful, compassionate, loyal, and so full of life. She took joy in everything, even small things most people don't notice. Like one night she was sitting on the porch staring at the deck railing, and I mean like intently staring. I thought she was losing it but she pointed out this little brown thing hanging from the underside of the rail. I had no idea what it was but I figured I'd humor her and we sat on the porch swing watching that thing damn near all night and just before the sun came up it started wiggling around like crazy and this janky looking little butterfly came out. Now, I'm thinking to myself 'eight hours of being mosquito bait for _that_,' but she kept telling me to be patient. Then the butterfly started flapping its wings and they stretched out to be huge, like four inches at least, and they were these green like I'd never seen before. She, of course, informed me that it wasn't a butterfly at all; it was a luna moth, _Actias luna_ if you're wondering. They only live for a week or two when they come out of their cocoons and they spend their entire short lives looking a mate; they don't even eat, they don't even have mouths as crazy as that sounds. Rose was so smitten with the tragic romance of the luna moth, she said she admired them because they lived their entire lives dedicated to love."

Damon chuckled softly to himself and shook his head. He subconsciously grazed his hand over the small moth tattoo on his chest that rested right over his heart. Rose had giggled the entire way to the tattoo shop when he decided to get it, teasing him for being so maudlin but she ended up getting a twin moth on her hip before the day was out. He was glad Elena had never asked about the tattoo before but it felt liberating to finally tell her the story behind it.

"That was the—" he paused and tried to rub his eyes inconspicuously. "That was the uh—the night I asked her to marry me. Ten months later we got married after lunch on a Wednesday at the courthouse in the lamest wedding ever. She and my mom were planning something better for later, but then she was just—gone."

"She sounds really amazing," Elena smiled at the honesty and affection with which Damon spoke about Rose. In the short time she'd known him, she had never seen him so disarmed. He was beautiful in his vulnerability, his blue eyes shimmered in reminiscence and his smile, no matter how small, was genuine and sent her heart fluttering against her ribs.

"She was," he agreed with a tight nod. "God, she was amazing. When she died, I—I wanted to die with her. I was too much of a coward to end it, so I just stopped _living_: dropped out of school, moved back here, and just waited around to get struck by lightening or something."

"No," Elena held his face tenderly in her hands and caught a single stray tear with her thumb, "don't say that. You are not a coward."

"I am," he affirmed, looking to the floor and away from her concerned gaze. He shook his head and choked back the few tears that hadn't yet escaped. "I've never even been here before."

"Damon—" Elena started.

"I couldn't face it, the finality of seeing her name on that damn plaque. I spent a year genuinely believing that there had been a mistake and that she'd come back to me. I sat on the porch swing and stared at the driveway for hours like a fucking moron, just waiting. Ever since then I've just been lying to myself and getting frighteningly good at it, but I think I've always known."

"There's nothing wrong with hope, that's natural," she said softly, her own throat constricting at seeing Damon so broken.

"I didn't even go to her funeral," he growled, unballing his clenched fist long enough to drag it through his hair. "I sat on the porch all fucking day thinking everyone was overreacting and that she'd come rolling up in a taxi at any second. I was too weak to go to my own wife's funeral. I never said goodbye to her."

Elena stood by his side as they both stared at the plaque on the wall. She didn't know what to say in that moment so she settled for just being next to him, hoping that somehow her presence could give him comfort. He ran his fingers over the raised brass letters of Rose's name.

"Goodbye Rose," he whispered after what seemed like several minutes and kissed the cold metal. Damon must have seen the concern in Elena's expression because he gave her a small smile and a short nod to tell her that he was, or would be, ok. He quietly shepherded her out of the small tomb and didn't seem to breathe again until they were back out in the sun. Their trek across the cemetery grass back to the car was silent but less tense than their arrival. He opened the passenger door for her but grabbed her gently by the elbow before she could slide into the seat.

"Thank you for coming," he managed huskily. "I just wanted you to know."

"Why?" Elena questioned, still looking at the grass at her feet, hoping that they would be coming into a new stage in their relationship. Damon had unknowingly worked his way into her life from the night she arrived in Mystic Falls. Despite their shared attempts to remain emotionally distant from each other, he was weaving the tatters of her heart and spirit back together. There was no use in denying it any longer, she was falling in love with him.

"I needed you to know what you're getting into if we do this," he explained and turned her chin up to force her to look at him. "I want you to know what I am and why I am. I feel like I've maybe misled you, so this is your out. If you want to take it I'll understand and it won't change anything. I'm not saying it wouldn't suck, but I get it if you want to."

"Damon—," Elena began cautiously.

"I'm fucked up, Elena, and you, you're… you. And you came into the Grill with that little red dress and reminded me of all the things I've been missing and didn't even know I still wanted."

"You don't have to—," she tried to stop him.

"I feel something for you, Elena. I don't know what _this_ is," he emphasized by motioning between them, "but it's something I haven't felt in a long time."

"No," Elena muttered softly, shaking her head.

"No," Damon repeated and nodded his head with a frown. He removed his hand from her elbow but she stopped him before he could distance himself from her too much.

"I don't want your out, Damon," she clarified upon seeing his crestfallen expression. Unable to fight the compulsion to touch him, she framed his face with her hands and ran her thumbs gently across his bottom lip. "Not even a little bit."

He wanted so badly to kiss her, but reconsidered seeing as the local cemetery wasn't exactly top of the list for Mystic Falls' most romantic places. Instead he settled for the more appropriate hug option and pulled her against him. The flowery scent of her lilac shampoo reminded him of the night before when she slept in his arms and how much he enjoyed the feeling of her there. He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her soft tresses.

"Can I take you out to lunch, Elena?"

* * *

**A/N: So like I said, a little short but I hope you all liked it and it was helpful to understanding more about Damon's past. Next up: the return of Katherine (don't shoot... it's not what you think ;)**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	12. Chapter 12: Histories

_Yay, new update! I'm almost done with exams for this term but I needed a bit of a study break and what better way to relax than write?! This chapter starts off a little dark, so consider yourself warned, but you know me... the happies aren't far behind! I'm getting really excited to get deeper into this story after finals so expect some plot twists and angstiness in the near future. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and don't forget: reviews are the best kind of happies :)_

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, the characters, or their likenesses. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

_What a difference a day makes_, Damon thought to himself.

It had been one day since laid his soul bare in the marble confines of the Salvatore tomb.

Twenty-four hours since he sought closure on the paralyzing chapter of his past.

One-thousand-four-hundred-forty minutes since he committed to the present over cheeseburgers at the Grill; and for the first time in several years, allowed himself to think about the future with something akin to hope.

For so long he had used women, alcohol, and pills as salves for his broken heart, vainly attempting to chemically assuage the guilt and grief that crippled him. He thought he had hit rock bottom when he lost his driver's license for yet another DUI, but he redefined "bottom" when he woke up in ICU after an accidental overdose of sleeping pills. He swore that he hadn't been trying to kill himself, but Katherine's frantic 911 call and the doctor's file told a much different story. He had washed down a handful of pills with half a bottle of vodka hoping for just one night of dreamless sleep. Even in his drug-induced haze he could find no respite and his ghosts haunted him even more vividly and mercilessly than before. He later learned that the doctors had to sedate him and kept him under for three days. With his family's influence he was released from the hospital with an official diagnosis of exhaustion, but what lurked beneath was far more sinister.

At the insistence of his parents he checked himself into rehab in California, far away from the busybody gossips of his small town. He spent twelve weeks going through the motions of recovery. His therapist worked through countless exercises with him to help him find the peace that had so painfully eluded him since Rose's death. He was a model patient and did whatever was asked of him but deep down he knew none of it was helping. The only tranquility he found was during his two free afternoons a week, when he would sit on the beach for hours just watching the waves roll in from Pacific. Something about the ocean made him feel small and reassuringly insignificant; that all of his problems were less important than the grains of sand he perched on. The vastness of the sky and the ocean was the only thing that could get him out of his own head and he credited those afternoons with his return to functionality.

When he was released from rehab, he did his best to sell his recovery to the people who loved him. He helped make family dinners again, bantered with Stefan again, and reconvened the weekly pool game with Ric, but it was all an act. He never "dealt" with anything, he just simply stopped caring. He acted like his old self for the benefit of the people around him, to save them from the heartache of watching him spiral ever downward. He pretended to be miffed by Stefan and Katherine's perfect relationship. He pretended to be moved when Rose's parents called to offer a heartfelt apology for everything they had done to keep them apart. He pretended to be happy for Ric when he swept into the store announcing that he was going to be a father. The fact of the matter was, he couldn't have cared less about any of it. None of it mattered to him. He was just another grain of sand on the beach, waiting for the waves to grind him into dust.

Then he met _her_.

He looked up from _East of Eden_ to admire the doe-eyed hurricane of woman who had turned his life sideways in the best way. She was lounged comfortably in the porch swing next to him tapping one foot on the wooden deck to some unheard melody. Between them sat a bag of seeds she had insisted on picking up from the nursery after their game-changing lunch; she was smitten with the idea of having her own vegetable garden and growing some tomatoes and squash, but upon seeing the array of seeds at the store the vegetable garden soon transformed to a vegetable/ flower/ butterfly/ hummingbird/ herb garden. Still, he was sure that her little Eden had about forty more permutations until she actually got the seeds in the ground.

"What do you think about a row of sunflowers in the back, and the lavender in front of that? Or maybe we should get some rose bushes or something?" she asked gesturing to the flowerbed she had cleared out in front of the porch. He didn't miss the "we_"_ or the fact that she was inching closer and closer to him. Her voice was vibrating with energy and she launched into another idea. "Oh! Jasmine! What about that? We could let it crawl up the patio and when it all blooms this summer it'll smell _so_ good. I won't even need candles inside, I can just leave the windows open. No, definitely roses then we can get a carton of ladybugs to eat those little green things that suck the water out of the stems."

Chuckling to himself, he dog-eared the page he was on and put his book down to give her his full attention. She wasn't even looking at him anymore and had instead bounced down the steps to the lawn to consider her workspace more fully. She appraised the flowerbed as an aesthete, one hand on her hip and the other cradling her chin in deep thought. Damon was quickly learning that this was how Elena operated in all things: she threw herself whole-heartedly into grandiose projects, only to quickly lose interest and move onto the next thing with the same tireless fervor. There had already been at least a half-dozen half-finished tasks around the store he had had to complete for her, but he couldn't help but think how good of a team they made—he with his meticulous attention and business-like approach and she with her bohemian free-spirit and never-ending energy. He kept her grounded and she made him want to fly again, not a bad partnership. Not bad at all.

He could have watched her all day. His eyes traced the lithe lines of her tank top down to its hem, which had the good sense to leave an inch or two between itself and the waistband of her faded jeans, leaving a flash of olive skin exposed. She had wrangled her long unruly hair into a high ponytail and tugged uncomfortably at the elastic, trying to loosen it so it would sit just right on her head. A few tendrils had escaped the elastic and fell around her face like little unruly vines. Had it not been for a handful of small scars and the clover-shaped birthmark on her ankle, Damon would have sworn that she was Aphrodite. She was r_eal_ and beautiful in her realness.

"Damon," she said warily, meeting his eyes in earnest and drawing him from his reverie. "We have to go back to the nursery."

3 3 3

"Mmm, you wore me out," Damon groaned and stretched his tired muscles. His joints throbbed from exertion and he could feel the stiffness already setting into his shoulders. It had been a long time since he'd done _that_ let alone an entire afternoon of it.

"I had no idea that could be so hard on your back," Elena moaned and rolled over, arching and twisting attempting to writhe away the ache in her bones. "I'm obviously out of practice."

"Next time you'll think twice before you want to get that dirty," Damon smirked as he rolled on his side to watch her stretch the limberness back into her spine. "Not that I object to you getting dirty."

"Me?" she scoffed indignantly. "You're filthy!" she pushed his shoulders to lay him flat on his back. She took a deep breath to fill her lungs with the sweet, still air of spring. She briefly thought about what she would have been doing if she had returned to Boston—a board meeting, no doubt. Elena stifled a laugh of pity for poor Rebekah Mikaelson, cooped up in her old cubicle while she was basking in the warmth of Damon lying so close to her.

"This is why I have a gardener," he said matter-of-factly even though he secretly was enjoying the feel of the grass against his neck.

"But now you have the pride that you built this beautiful garden with your own hands," Elena offered as she sat up and admired their afternoon of handywork. "Well, more like _I_ built it while you… what _did_ you do?"

"Heavy lifting, package opening, moral support," he ticked off on his fingers.

"Right, the cheer squad with a pocket knife. Pivotal to any successful home improvement project," Elena teased and hoisted herself onto her knees. "I'd better shower and change if we're going to make it to dinner on time."

"It's not like they're going to start without us," Damon shrugged and grabbed her arms to pull her down on top of him. Before she could protest he captured her lips in a sweetly passionate kiss. They were both smiling so widely that their teeth collided making Elena giggle uncontrollably.

"I really need to shower. I'm not getting my Pomona Sprout on at dinner."

"Don't know what that is, but it sounds kinky," Damon grinned and rolled her under him to kiss her neck.

"You don't know who Pomona Sprout is?" Elena asked, pushing at his chest to assess the seriousness in his face.

"Goddess of fruit and shit?" Damon answered obliviously.

"You own a bookstore, Damon, and you've never read _Harry Potter_?" asked again, her disbelief evident in the pitch of her voice.

"I cannot believe I am getting cock blocked by a fictional boy wizard right now," Damon groaned and rolled off of her, still keeping their fingers interlocked.

"That's a little presumptuous to think that you were going to get anywhere, Harry or no Harry."

"I prefer to think of it as unbridled optimism. Most people appreciate that in a person, Elena."

"So what's the deal with dinner tonight?" she asked, wiggling her fingers against the palm of his hand to trace his calluses. She felt a little spark of excitement as her fingertips ran over a knotted-down scar on his thumb and reminded herself to ask him about it later. She loved learning little things about him, he always seemed so inhumanly perfect and collected to the rest of the world that she couldn't help but feel like his little flaws were only for her to know and love.

"How do you mean milady?"

"It's just you've never mentioned family dinners before, so I'm wondering if tonight is a special occasion I should be prepared for."

"Nope," Damon said with a shrug. "Well, Katherine's pregnant, if you want to call that a 'special' occasion."

"You're going to be an uncle?"

"If it's Stefan's," he commented sarcastically.

"Uncle and a godfather, look at you being all stable and family like," Elena giggled. "And here I thought you were just a roving blackguard."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? Even wants a piece of the perfection that is Damon Salvatore."

"I think you struggle with some hubris issues," she said as her giggles progressed into hearty laughter.

"I don't struggle with it at all," Damon replied indignantly before scooping her off of the ground and throwing her over his shoulder. "Now about that shower…"  
3 3 3

Elena marveled at seeing the Salvatore Boarding House in daylight. The last time Damon had brought her here, it was dark and so much of the house's grandeur had been lost to the shadows. She didn't notice the small motifs carved into the ornate crown moulding or the regal-looking 'S' carved into the brass of the front door handle. For a moment it reminded her of the house she had grown up in, stately and immaculate but she saw little flashes of disorder that Miranda would have never allowed: tick marks carved into the door frame of the coat closet showing how much each of the Salvatore brothers had grown that particular year, a little bite of wood missing from the corner of the wall, or a picture frame that looked like it had been hastily repaired with a little too much glue. She could imagine a younger Damon and his brother running wild through the long halls of the house, throwing footballs into the antique vases and wrestling across the Persian rugs. The personality of the house was embodied in those little blemishes; they told the story of the family that lived, learned, grew, fought, died, mourned, celebrated, and loved in that house. She decided that the character in her book should live in a house like the that and made a mental note to work on that part of the story when she got home.

"Stef," Damon greeted a handsome green-eyed man in the parlor. He looked a few years younger than Damon but had the same courtly features—a legacy of their aristocratic Italian blood, Elena thought. She figured the man had to be Damon's brother, which was confirmed when Katherine slunk up behind him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Medusa," Damon greeted with a sneer.

"All class, Damon," the younger man mumbled and shot his brother a vicious look. He shook his head before smiling warmly at Elena. "Where are my manners? I'm Stefan, Damon's brother."

"I'm Elena," she shook his hand and marveled at the contrast between the Salvatore brothers. "It's nice to meet you."

"This is my lovely wife, Katherine," Stefan said proudly and lowered his hand from her shoulder to her stomach. "And our little one, who we don't know much about yet." Although she didn't know him before, Elena could tell that impending fatherhood suited Stefan.

"Miss Aspen has a name," Katherine purred. "Good to see you again, _Elena_."

"Katherine, positively enchanted," Elena simpered theatrically, Damon snickered quietly at her greeting and was about to say something when Eloisa swept into the living room.

"Katherine, Elena, _le mie regazze_! You are just in time!" Eloisa said as she kissed Elena on the cheek.

"In time for what?" Elena asked.

"Gnocchi lessons, Elena. _Mamma_ makes the best," Katherine said and unbuttoned the cuffs of her silk blouse to roll up the sleeves.

"Tsk, tsk _cara mia_," Eloisa shook her finger at Katherine playfully. "You shouldn't say thing like that to an old lady, she just might believe you and my ego will have to compete with Damon's?" Katherine laughed along with her and Elena looked utterly confused. When she looked to Damon for some clarification, he just shrugged his shoulders and made himself comfortable on the couch with a glass of scotch. Was it possible that Eloisa actually _liked_ Katherine?

"Elena, are you joining us, dear?" Eloisa asked patiently.

"Yeah, sorry," Elena shook her head and followed the two women into the kitchen. Katherine flitted around the cabinets pulling out bowls and utensils as though she were in her own house. She was saying something in Italian that had the cadence of a joke and Eloisa was in stitches. Elena had no idea where Katherine had gone or what happened to her, but this woman definitely wasn't the same woman she had rescued Damon from a few days previously.

"Sit next to me Elena," Eloisa gestured to the stool next to her. "The secret to gnocchi is fresh semolina. I get this from my sister in Livorno. God bless this country, but you Americans can't compete with real Tuscan ingredients. Now you want the dough to be smooth and soft, like polenta but less grainy. What is our motto, Katherine?"

"_Tenero come il burro, Mamma_," Katherine smiled a genuine smile. Elena caught herself actually admiring Katherine's beauty. When she wasn't eviscerating Damon on the sidewalk she was stunningly gorgeous, enough so to make Elena feel a tad insecure.

"Soft as butter," Eloisa filled in. "And there are no measurements, this you must do with your heart. Sometimes it will be a little different, but it makes supper an adventure every time."

"I've never really cooked before," Elena said bashfully, already feeling overwhelmed. Popping Eggo's into the toaster probably wouldn't rate as cooking in Eloisa's book.

"No matter _dolcezza_," Eloisa said with a wave of her hand. "Katherine is a particularly talented chef, she can show you the steps. I am going to find something for my boys to occupy themselves with before they come to fisticuffs and break one of my lamps," Eloisa chuckled and left the kitchen, but not before kissing Elena and Katherine both on the cheek.

"You don't have to pretend to be nice," Katherine said as soon as Eloisa left the kitchen. And there she was, this was the woman Elena was prepared for.

"I'm not pretending anything," Elena said without looking up from the roll of dough she was stretching out.

"That's too thin, those won't cook right," Katherine pointed out and showed her own roll as a model. "It's fine if you think I'm a bitch. I don't let it get to me anymore. It's much easier than trying to be perfect silly little wife all the time."

"I'm sure it is," Elena sighed, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed. "But you don't have to go out of your way to make people hate you."

"_People_ don't hate me, Elena," Katherine corrected and popped a cherry tomato in her mouth. "_Damon_ hates me. There's a difference."

"What did he ever to you?" Elena snapped, feeling a sudden urge to protect Damon from Katherine's assaults.

"Nothing. He did _nothing_ Elena, and that was the problem. I really did love Damon. All it took was one look and I was completely gone over him. Those eyes, jeez… it's not even fair. I never stood a chance," Katherine smiled in reflection. "But I knew where I stood, I was a handy bed warmer and he never made any intimations that that would change. Still, I always hoped that one day we'd wake up and things would be different. I knew he'd never love me, but I wished he'd just feel _something_ for me."

"But why?" Elena asked, more than a little shocked at Katherine's revelation. Was it possible that the evil vamp slut had a little humanity left in her? "Why would you just let him _use_ you like that?"

"Because that's what he needed. I wasn't his darling little Rose and I was never going to be. He needed someone who could comfort him without reminding him of her. It was obvious to everyone who knew him that he was losing it, he dropped out of school, started drinking heavily, lost contact with most of his friends. He needed something else to put his energy into besides wallowing and I'm sure you already know how much energy Damon invests in the bedroom."

"So you just sacrificed your own happiness so Damon could get some comfort at night?" Elena struggled to clarify. The story Damon had told was so different, he made it seem like Katherine was just a self-serving harlot out to get a rich husband who would let her have her way.

"I loved him enough to be what he needed when he needed it, even if it broke my heart. I was willing to wait though, I would have waited forever for him to notice me if that's what it took."

"Why didn't you then?"

"I met his brother," Katherine smiled and blushed. Yes, Katherine Pierce blushed. "With Stefan, _everything_ was different. The love, the passion, he made me feel so alive it brought me to my knees. If you want my whole sob story: my mom shoved me into every beauty pageant that advertised at the trailer park and if you haven't been there, trust me— it's enough to fuck you up early on. But whatever, it was attention, right? I made it all the way to Miss America when I was eighteen. I got out of the podunk town I grew up in, scrounged up some money, and got into college. The creepy stares and lewd comments never stopped and I just figured it was all part of the college experience to sleep with your professors for A's. Needless to say, I did well in school. Then I met Damon and he treated me pretty much the same way everyone always had so I didn't think anything of it but then Stefan…" she paused thoughtfully. "When Stefan looked at me, he saw _me_. To this day, he is the only man who has ever asked me what my favorite book is or what I thought of a political candidate. He made me realize that I never really knew what love was before, what I thought I felt for Damon was infatuation. Stefan is the kind of love that comes along once, if you're lucky."

"I'm sorry Katherine," Elena stuttered. "I had no idea."

"No hard feelings. I know what Damon tells you about me; he's absolutely convinced that I'm cuckolding his brother," Katherine shrugged saying it like it was the most ridiculous notion in the world. "Stefan wants a brotherly relationship so badly even though he'd never admit it. He's sensitive, it really does bother him when Damon gets into one of his moods."

"What about you?" Elena asked, taking an interest in Katherine's story despite her earlier judgments against the woman.

"Me? I think Damon is a self-destructive narcissistic ass hat with no redeeming qualities. If hating me means he'll be at least halfway decent to my husband, then I think that's a pretty fair trade."

"Yikes," Elena bristled. "Tell me how you really feel."

"Damon is a dick," Katherine dismissed. "If you stick around long enough you'll find that out first hand."

"So how do you know Italian?" Elena asked, trying to steer the conversation away from Damon knowing that it would just make her angry.

"Wedding present for Stefan. We got married in Tuscany in the town where Eloisa and Giuseppe are from and there were seventeen million Salvatores there, and with the exception of Damon, Peppe, and _Mamma_, none of them spoke English. Of course I wasn't going to host a party where I couldn't speak with my guests."

"That's a heck of a wedding present," Elena muttered, feeling humbled by Katherine now that she had some of her back-story. She hadn't felt threatened by her designer clothes and perfectly coiffed hair, or her and Stefan's sleek little sports car out in the driveway; she hadn't given a second thought to the lavish diamond baubles that dangled from her ears or the massive ring on her finger, but there was something so genuine about her love for Stefan that made Elena self-conscious. She wondered if Damon would ever allow her to get that close, if maybe someday they'd be hosting their own party in Tuscany.

"Eh," Katherine shrugged dismissively. "Stefan gave me the Maserati, so it kind of sucked in comparison."

"Do you think I should?"

"You should what?"

"Learn something like that. You know Italian, you've traveled, and you know how to cook."

"Correct on all counts," Katherine said smugly, "but if I'm being honest with you. I would be careful about how much you invest in Damon. He's wired for self-sabotage. Stefan says he's afraid of being happy, and the longer I know Damon the more I believe him."

"Oh," Elena said shortly, clearly crestfallen from having her insecurities voiced.

"Hey, I want to be wrong about this, ok? I really do. I'm just warning you to be careful." Katherine could feel the tension in the room drop into sadness and Elena looked like she'd just been dunked in ice water. She was tough but Katherine wasn't heartless, she gave Elena a small smile and gestured to the cutting board in front of her that was crowded with neat little gnocchi dumplings. "Those suck significantly less than your first attempt."

"Thanks," Elena mumbled and rolled out another piece of dough.

"Stef wants you to show Mom the pictures of the baby someone put in you," Damon said as he strode into the kitchen, interrupting the pregnant silence between the two women.

"Do you ever take a night off from being an ass?" Katherine groaned and stomped out of the kitchen.

"Nope," he smirked and sidled up behind Elena at the counter, wrapping his arms tightly around her middle and nuzzling her shoulder affectionately. "You're playing nice, I was afraid she would have turned you to stone" he commented and nipped at her neck playfully.

"Your family is in the other room," Elena blushed and tried to wiggle out of his embrace even though she could already feel the stirrings of desire start to bubble up.

"They're mooning over Katherine's ultrasound pictures," Damon explained, brushing her hair over her shoulder to kiss her jaw. "They won't even notice us in here."

"Damon, stop it," she muttered without reciprocating his affections.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, resting his chin on her shoulder and watching her work. "Did she say something to you?"

"No," Elena sighed. She felt Damon's grip loosen and disappear from her waist and she figured he was headed out to tear into Katherine so she was surprised when he slid into the chair next to her and moved the cutting board between them. He took a heap of dough from the bowl and began working on his own dumplings.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"Nothing."

"Well it's something because you're never this quiet," he smiled, thinking about how she was usually talking a mile a minute is she wasn't reading or sleeping.

"It's really nothing, I'm fine," she dismissed again.

"I really didn't want to have to do this," he said seriously and dusted off his hands on a nearby dishtowel. He stood up and spun Elena's chair so she was facing him and attacked her sides with his fingers making her squirm uncontrollably.

"Stop that, Damon, it tickles," she shrieked between fits of giggles.

"Only if you promise to smile," he offered, pinning her flailing hands to his chest with one hand and continuing his onslaught with the other.

"Fine, I will," she yelped, trying to catch her breathe as he stilled his fingers.

"Much better," Damon said, obviously proud of his victory and brushed a quick kiss to her lips.

3 3 3

Despite her earlier misgivings about cooking, the dinner that Elena helped make had been fantastic. Most of the meal was filled with cheerful talk about Stefan and Katherine's baby, but was punctuated with Eloisa's animated retelling of stories from her sons' childhood. Elena had learned more about Damon in the hour she spent at the dinner table than she had in all the time she knew him. Every little story Eloisa told lodged itself in Elena's heart and she could feel herself falling deeper and deeper into the abyss that was loving Damon Salvatore. She nearly forgot Katherine's warning and decided that she didn't care how badly she got hurt, she was simply unable to resist him.

"I'm just going to fetch the torte," Eloisa said and stood from the head of the table. "We're going to have to be creative with the candles this year," she winked at Damon and left the room.

"It's your birthday?!" Elena hissed in a hushed tone, pinching Damon on the arm.

"Ouch," he whined and rubbed his arm. "Did I forget to mention that?"

"Yes," Elena said with viciously narrowed eyes.

"Weird," he shrugged. "I guess you're going to have to get creative with my present," he whispered and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

* * *

**A/N: So what did you think? Yay/nay? What do you think Elena's present will be? (hint: it's not smutty, well... maybe some of that too, but it's not ****_primarily_**** smutty ;) I apologize for any glaring errors in spelling/grammar/etc. in this chapter, it's pretty late and I was excited to post something new for you guys, sooner or later my inner-OCD spell check demon will awaken and check everything over and probably re-post. Don't forget to feed that review box :D**

**XOXO ~Anna**


	13. Chapter 1: Where the Wild Things Are

_Hello readers, are you still there? A thousand apologies for being so late with an update. No good excuse really, just that life got crazy busy crazy fast. I hope you like the new chapter, things are going to start getting a little (more) dramatic from here ;) _

* * *

"It's kind of corny," Elena dismissed bashfully as she came down the stairs with a wrapped present in her hands. "I didn't know it was your birthday so it was going to be a celebration present for changing the format of the store."

Damon was reclined on the sofa flipping through a new issue of _National Geographic_ that had been sitting on the coffee table. Miss Moppet happily sat on the cushion next to him pawing at the pages lackadaisically as he turned them. He chuckled softly and scratched behind her ears.

Damon was amused at Elena's sudden shyness, and smirked at the scarlet glow that flamed her cheeks. Those little things were all his now. Her blushing, her shy smiles, and the way her shoulders shook when she giggled to herself. The revelation touched something deep within him he thought had long since withered away and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to scoop her up and kiss her senseless.

"I don't know if you'll like it," she mumbled handing him the tidily wrapped package before pulling it back against her chest out of his reach. "Let me go shopping actually, for something better."

"Elena," he cooed. "I'm sure it's perfect."

"Ok," she sighed and handed him the package a second time and sat on the edge of the sofa next to him. "If you don't like it, just tell me, it won't hurt my feelings."

Elena's eyes were fixed to Damon's face as he carefully unwrapped the package. She wanted to see his every reaction. She hoped she hadn't crossed the line with her particularly intimate gift; the last thing she wanted was to scare him off so early in their budding relationship. A flurry of emotions flitted over his face when he peeled the last layer of tissue paper off of the worn _Where the Wild Things Are_ cover; they flew by so fast Elena couldn't register them and that alone made her feel uncomfortable.

"How did you…?" he trailed off as he opened the book. He ran his fingers over the faded inscription on the front end paper: _Behind every great man is a great imagination and a library of great books. May this be the first of many. Happy birthday son. ~Dad_. Below his father's heartfelt message was a young Damon's childish scrawl spelling out his full name, _Damon August Salvatore_, complete with a backwards R.

"I found it in one of the crates at the store," Elena offered shyly, hoping that whatever was going through his head was good. "I had the binding re-sewn and the spine redone, but I didn't touch anything else."

"This is, just…" he trailed off again. He smiled when he saw three red splotches on one of the pages—popsicle drippings from the summer her tried to teach Stefan how to read. Stefan hovered over his big brother's shoulder trying to copy the words but just ended up making a mess. "This is incredible, Elena."

"So it's not stupid?" she asked, incredibly relieved that she hadn't overstepped any unspoken boundaries.

"Not at all," Damon smiled a genuine smile and flipped another page. "This is perfect," he added as he held out his arm in invitation to her. His eyes never left the book in his lap until she cuddled up next to him.

"I'm glad you like it," she yawned and leaned deeper into him.

"I really do."

"Happy birthday," Elena cooed and looked up at Damon expectantly, hoping he would kiss her. Instead he put his book on the coffee table and wrapped both arms around her to hold her even more closely. She settled her head on his chest and enjoyed their quiet moment. She'd never been all that affectionate with Matt. Both of them had been so busy that they rarely found time for just enjoying each others' company but when they did it was usually more friendly than romantic. Never before had she felt so secure and so precious as she did when she was in Damon's arms and she hoped the feeling wouldn't go away anytime soon.

"What's that from?" Elena asked thoughtfully as she cradled his palm in her hands and stroked the scar she had discovered earlier.

"Nothing," he said more defensively than he meant to. Elena immediately dropped his hand and blinked away the tears she could feel spring up in her eyes. He was putting his wall back up and shutting her out again. He must have felt the shift in her mood because he took her hand back into his own and kissed her knuckles before clearing his throat. "It's just not something I'm really proud of. Stefan had just gotten his driver's license and wanted to borrow my car to take this girl, Lexi, out on a date. He'd been pining over her for months so I figured it wouldn't hurt his chances. He swore up and down he'd take good care of it. He backed into the mailbox on the way out of the driveway and dented the fender. I lost my temper and ran Stef down pretty hard about being the world's worst little brother and punched the wall in the garage. Four stitched and six weeks in a cast later, I have that to remind me what a jerk brother I am."

"You're not a jerk," Elena smiled and snuggled closer to his side. She didn't like hearing that he had gotten hurt, but she was glad he shared the story with her.

"Oh yes I am," he said squeezing her tightly and nibbling her neck to lighten the mood. "I'm the _bad_ brother."

"Stop it. That tickles!" Elena giggled wildly and tried to squirm out of his grasp. "Ahh, Damon! Stop!"

"Make me," he smirked and pinched her sides for good measure. Without warning she tunneled her fingers into his hair and pulled his lips violently against hers. His hands started a slow path up her sides and he paused to caress his thumbs over her breasts.

"Bedroom," she panted, knowing that they were about two minutes away from tearing each others' clothes off and she hadn't gotten drapes for her front windows yet. He stood from the couch and pulled her up with him, bending his knees slightly to pick her up. She readily took the hint and wrapped her legs around his waist. As carefully as he could he made his way around the couch and towards the stairs to her bedroom.

As soon as they reached her room she dropped her legs from his waist and pushed him onto the bed. She started on the buttons of his shirt at a painfully slow pace and swatted his hands away every time he reached for her.

"Mm-mm," she shook her head and pushed his hands away again. "Be a good boy and do as you're told." His brain was so ramped up that he could only muster a growl in response. She continued from his shirt to his belt and the zipper of his jeans. She smiled to herself when she found that he was boxer-free.

"You're downright salacious Mr. Salvatore," she scolded as she wrapped her hand around him and squeezed gently. His satisfied moan was all the encouragement she needed to drop to her knees and take him in her mouth.

"Goddamn Elena," he groaned and fell back against the pillow. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched the duvet in his fists. He could feel the telltale tightening in the pit of his stomach and knew he had to stop her soon if he had any plans for continuing their romp. He propped himself up on his elbows to watch her. Her gaze burned so hotly with lust and passion that he nearly lost it. "Fuck no, stop. I'm…" he managed hoarsely between breaths, kicking himself for asking her to stop her sweet torture. She pulled her mouth off of him and climbed slowly up his torso, kissing the lines of his abdomen and chest. "You're killing me, Elena."

"And I thought you were enjoying yourself," she pouted her lips theatrically before curling the corners into a sultry smirk. "I know I was."

"Minx," he growled and rolled over onto her. Without even an intimation of patience, he tore at her dress, ripping one of the lacy straps.

"I like this dress," she whined.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow," he dismissed and shucked his jeans onto the floor, desperate to feel her skin against his. "But right now I need you."

He thrust into her harshly, filling her completely with one swift motion. She cried out his name and arched her back against his chest. He was nearly overcome by the intensity of it all and dropped his forehead to the curve of her shoulder. This was the feeling he couldn't get out of his head since the day they hid from the rain in the backseat of his car; it was the feeling of belonging and being whole again, of being alive for the first time in years, of loving, and being loved in return. Nothing before had every felt so right to him, not even being with Rose.

"Please move," she begged and rocked her hips against his. "Please, Damon."

"You do dangerous things to my ego when you say my name like that," he smirked as he set a slow rhythm with his hips. He was bound and determined to stretch this out as long as possible and make her beg him to let her climax. His plan was short-circuited as soon as he could feel her walls flutter around his length.

"God Damon," she moaned. "Don't stop, please don't stop." He knew she was close but he was closer and he didn't want to finish before her. He snaked a hand between their bodies to rub over her swollen bud. She whimpered softly and dug her nails into his biceps. With one more swipe of his thumb her body was wracked the most intense orgasm she'd ever experienced. Had it not been for the clear recognition of Damon shouting her name as he found his own peak, she would have sworn that she had blacked out.

He collapsed unceremoniously on the mattress besides her and she used her last bit of energy to roll on her side to face him.

"Wow," she commented sleepily.

"Happy birthday to me," he smirked and walked his fingers down her spine to flatten his hand over the curve of her bottom.

They lay together long enough to regain some energy and catch their breath. Damon was the first to move when he slid from the bed to grab his rumpled clothes off of the floor.

"You can stay," Elena offered but noticed him shift uncomfortably as he pulled his jeans back on. "Or not, either way is fine with me. I just figured you wouldn't want to drive back this late."

"It's not far," he shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," she answered, trying not to sound too disappointed. She sat up to get dressed so she could walk him to the front door without flashing the entire neighborhood.

"You don't have to get up," he said, thinking he was being considerate, and brushed a quick kiss to her lips. "Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight," she said with a forced smile. She waited until she heard the front door close and flopped back against her pillows. She felt four little paws land on the bed and make their way up to the now-empty pillow next to her head.

"I know, Mops," Elena said to her cat. "Men."

It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep. Somewhere in the middle of a dream about winning a Pulitzer she awoke to her covers being pulled off. She faintly registered a dark silhouette against the moonlight coming through her bedroom window.

"It's just me," the shadow said in Damon's distinctive voice.

"I thought you left," Elena mumbled and rubbed her eyes.

"I came back. I didn't have a key and what kind of guy would I be if I let my girlfriend sleep all by herself in an unlocked house?"

"You came back?" She was to confused in her sleepy twilight to catch his use of the girlfriend title, but she was still somehow glad at his recognition of their relationship.

"Obviously sleepy head," he laughed. "Now are you going to move over or am I sleeping on the floor?"

She wiggled over to give him enough space. As soon as he climbed into bed his arms were around her.

"I'm glad you came back," she mumbled, already half asleep.

"Me too," he answered knowing she wouldn't hear him. "Me too."

* * *

**A/N: He came back! Yay :) It can't be that easy though right? Nope... not for D/E anyways. For those of you who are following my other story, ****_All You Are to Me_****, I am planning to have a new chapter for that one as well sometime this week so stay tuned. Feed the comment beast :)**

**~XOXO Anna**


End file.
